Fleeting Visual

Pictures of old.

2010-11-16T03:57:00.000-08:00

I have been digging around in an old box full of photographs that I made years ago, before I really knew anything about image making. Its brought back some good memories. There are images from when I travelled the glob and lived in Sydney and some that are of me and my good friends, where we used to just drive to locations to drink and party.

This picture was made in about 2003 to 2004(ish) maybe?! We went to liverpool to to visit a friend and attend her 21st birthday party. Good times! The people listed from left to right are as follows, Hill, Dan, Steve and me.

As you can tell my camera had major problems. Still its not about the image is it?

I will upload more as I sift through them.

Georg Gatsas

2010-11-14T11:34:00.000-08:00

I found this guy whilst trailing Pohotbook publishing websites and fell in love with his work on the spot. You should check out his guy out. Just awesome stuff here - www.georggatsas.com

Here are few snaps from his work 'Signal in the Future'

Some snaps of Angie to fill the time.

2010-11-10T09:12:00.000-08:00

Now thats some colour casts! I really should sort that out... but I wont.

A photographer I found earlier that I had forgot about.

2010-11-09T07:47:00.000-08:00

Its well worth a look. The photographers portfolios are beautiful and It shocks me that I had forgot about this work. Go on, have a look!

Alex Sturrock
www.alexsturrock.com

Some images that I recently made for the Warwick Hall project.

2010-11-07T22:25:00.000-08:00

Images ideas for a new(ish) project.

2010-11-07T13:39:00.001-08:00

I'm toying with a new(ish) project concept and I have been out making some 'idea images' this evening. The project will be made up from mixed media, so what I'm working with at the moment is only a small section that will ultimately make up whole.

I will keep posting more ideas and images as the concept evolves.

A make-shift bike shed in the studio??!!

2010-11-04T15:22:00.000-07:00

So this week saw the studio's unused room turn into a make-shift spray booth for Steve the bike man, well thats what I have decided to call him, to spray and build a bike. Basically my friend Steve took an unused bike that has been laying around the studio and has started to give it a new lease of life.

In all fairness its been a lot of fun and it seems we have two more bikes to mess with. I will upload some pics of the final product from this project and some snaps of the other two bikes as we set the wheels in motion so to speak.

Mummified Cat.

2010-11-03T05:47:00.000-07:00

I found this little fellow whilst snooping around in the garage bellow my studio. I think you'll agree that this is an epic find!

Its like me but not me. Its well futile.

2010-10-29T09:56:00.000-07:00

I received this little beauty today from the greek illustrator Angie Kordella. I think it is true genius and probably the best portrait of me that I have ever seen. A clear 10 out of 10 for this one!!!

TAKE ONLY WHAT YOU NEED

2010-10-16T04:12:00.000-07:00

More work surrounding the idea of 're-appropriating' images.

The idea of Re-appropriating images.

2010-10-03T09:18:00.001-07:00

I have become increasingly interested in the idea of re-appropriating images in order to create and fabricate new narratives. I have been playing around with images I have found laying around in the empty studios and spaces that make up the building in which my own studio resides.

I have started off by working with just two images at a time to create small narratives and metaphors. I will expand to grow each of these small and early concepts as and when I feel I find imagery suitable for each set and look forward to creating new sets alike... like I said, Its early days yet.

The images shown bellow are snaps of these ‘Re-appropriating’ concepts I have made over the last few days. They sit in the hallway of Warwick Hall art space (where my studio is)

ACCEPT (Working title)

2010-09-23T07:33:00.001-07:00

I must point out before you move on that these images are not explicit for the sake of being Porn!

I thought I should upload three new images from a new concept I'm working on. I have decided not to upload the premise behind the imagery just yet. It feels to early and I wish to strengthen the synopsis first. So I will leave you to gather your own thoughts on these early workings.

I will upload more as and when I am content with the growth of the work.

Somewhere Between

2010-09-23T06:50:00.000-07:00

This is now an old project but I have decided to upload it and see what people think. I unearthed it recently whilst collecting images and project for my new website (that I am currently making).

I enjoyed making the project as it something personal to how I felt at the time and It has been good to view it almost a year and a half later with what now feels like fresh eyes. Now I'm not saying it is the strongest body of work but it is a body of work that doesn't just sit within the contemporary domain, but one that hopefully lends itself to everyone; well that was my aim at the time and I still feel it to be relevant.

I will open the work by adding not a synopsis but a small paragraph that I felt fitting. It was a small writing that summed up how I felt about time consumption in everyday life and how it can hold 'us' back from truly growing as a people and how our intellect is constrained by a boundary of the mundane tasks of day-to-day life.

"For me, like many, precious "free thinking" time comes in the form of the commute.

A narrow gap in the running of day-to-day like where I allow myself to switch of - ultimately switching on. The time spent on this small journey becomes a place where congested thoughts

evaporate and "free thoughts" flow like the fleeting landscapes that pass by as one watches from the window of a moving train"

'WE ARE SHADOWS' (work in progress)

2010-08-18T06:56:00.001-07:00

In a bid to represent the past and predicted present, 'We are shadows' looks back at the movement that took place in the early nineties that shook youth culture across Britain.

Britain had fallen into a recession a few years prior and this movement was believed to be a back lash effect from such an issue. Opportunity had dried up, employment was scarce and there was no money being pumped into a generation charged with energy and frustration. With a feeling of disconnection this group of people aged from twelve to mid twenties began to hang around parks and other 'doss' areas with time to kill.

Under the surface, a music scene was erupting. The 'rave' movement was born and the youth of this period had become the roots from which it stemmed. Hand in hand with this new wave of culture came a new drugs culture, shortly followed by a rise in crime. There was now something to focus this energy and frustration on.

This body of work focuses on a working to middle-class suburb in Cardiff between the years of 1992 - 1997. It was at this time that a quiet and respectable suburb –Whitchurch- found its youth generation at war with itself and its other inhabitants. This ‘gang’, free of care, respect, morals and hope, single-handedly brought crime levels to an all new high - theft, breaking and entry, assault, vandalism, drug pushing and high rates of drug consumption all rife within the gang itself.

This behaviour had such an effect that many of the suburbs residents chose not to leave their home after dark, and the areas that this group resided in were steered clear of by all people from the 'outside'.

This work in progress will then look forward to the present at an era that is now turning full circle. As we step out from Britain's economic crash of the 00's and a 'new rave' scene is once more creeping out from the wood work, these gangs are starting to form once more.

With the opportunity to capture the present as it unfolds, the work within this documentary will shift from conceptual to portraiture in a bid to document the faces of the repeated movement.

Bias views on photographers from the Welsh Arts Council

2010-04-07T08:28:00.000-07:00

I have just spoken to the welsh arts council with regards to funding I require in order to carry out a project this summer. I explained its historical and cultural relevance and how important it was to record such an issue. The nice lady I spoke to really seemed like she wanted to help, until I named my game - 'I am a documentary Photographer' I said. Upon saying such an evil sentence she returned this reply ' We do not give money to documentary photographers as its not an art form; it is journalism and there are to many of you out there. I know that photography is... you know, but we would not award the money for that I'm afraid... sorry, try a local paper or something like that to see if they will help'.

Now like I said, she was a nice lady and she does not set the rules, but, however, It seems a little bias that photography is shunned by local and national authorities and organizations; yet all other art forms are excepted. I even tried to explain that what I was doing was not photojournalism and would not be a number of images put together to create a narrative, but they are conceptual portraits. Alas, it was no use.

This whole process does concern me though, as living in Wales, I find it increasingly hard to gain any strong standing research or work surrounding such an important cultural issue as to the one I am trying to tackle and record. It leads me to think what else has been missed or lost in the past due to ignorance of a visual medium. I mean after all, I don't mean to sound like I'm putting down other art forms here, but not a sculpture, nor clay pot, nor poem, nor video installation would capture histories great tales like the photograph would, and does!

I'm not bitter about not getting the money [although it would have been nice and put an end to the search for financial help] but more towards the idea of what great work never makes it past the proposal stage... still at least the council commissioned some artist to make what looks like a giant stick and hoop and place it outside the city central library. THAT WAS WELL WORTH THE MONEY!!!!!!!!!!

A quick suggestion

2010-04-05T09:35:00.000-07:00

Listen to The Fire In My Head by Voice of the Seven Woods. It is one hell of a tune!!!!!!!!! The album is amazing too!

A giant creative mind!

2010-04-05T08:43:00.000-07:00

I have been spending a great deal of time on the studio lately. This is due to a number of reasons, the major one being my latest body of work - 'Spy On Thy Neighbour'. With so much post producing, editing, and along with any attempts to create a good book and exhibition concept, that it just seems to suck up many hours a day; so I haven't had a chance to make as many pictures as I would like too... until now!

I like the way some projects just land on your doorstep. Now what I'm about to show you isn't really my style of work and it doesn't really have any indication towards my thought process when creating bodies of work, but it has given me the opportunity to make pictures and explore and study the surroundings of my little studio... ok,ok, I know, get to the point!

Well my studio is located in an old dance hall, a dance hall that has been converted into a number of 'artist' studios that are for hire on a non-profit basis (god bless!) and as you may imagine, it is a very messy building on the whole (except for my studio of course!). It shows many signs of artists work, be it from previous tenants and, of course, todays tenants. It has little indications, in every little space, in every little inch, in every little centimeter of the building that leads to the ideas of an artists thought process. Now, these thought processes are very hard to define, single out and narrow down to one particular artist but on the whole it is as if all of these little 'indications' are the creation of something bigger; it is now as if the building itself, is a giant think box and its interiors are the insides of a creative brain. A never clean, always thinking brain that consistently makes and creates ideas and concepts but often leaves such imaginations, such ideas and concepts half finished, yet never forgotten.

So here is the start of an exploration into a 'giant creative mind!' I have decided to shoot the project on polaroid. I felt it only right to use this 'single shot' process as to 'pay homage' toward the many ideas that are 'a fleeting moment in a creative mind'. A moment that can only be caught once, a moment that can never be recreated, nor take place again.

New York and the Super Furry Animals?!

2010-04-05T07:11:00.000-07:00

As I'm sat in my studio listening to the track Frequency, from the ablum Love Craft by the Super Furry Animals, all I can think about is being back in NYC. Hanging out in the East Village and walking the High Line (pictured) with my girlfriend. The city haunts me [in a positive way] and I miss its energy. Even with a great deal of adventure ahead of me and my global travels just around the corner, I just can't seem to shake that city off my mind. It seems like another year will pass until I am back in the Big Apple. Still at least I will be living there for a year the next time! and not just making little trips of 3 weeks or so.

An excellent quote and even better; Food for thought.

2010-04-03T06:27:00.001-07:00

I thought I should share this writing with you as it really stood out from a piece of text I read today.

"A text's unity lies not in its origin but in its destination" (Ronald barthes).

Progress on the CCTV series 'Spy on Thy Neighbour

2010-04-01T12:08:00.000-07:00

I thought I would upload some new images that have been made for the CCTV project:

'Spy on Thy Neighbour', along with a few updates on the project.

My dear assistant spends many hours helping me post produce this series and I felt the little greek goddess should get a well deserved mention and even a picture to boot!

The wonderful Angie, also known as Greeky, working hard at the studio/office (pictured above)

Lay out concepts are coming in thick and fast!... Here is one of them. (pictured above)

I have managed to make a great deal of these images and the series is now coming along very well and will continue to do so as soon as this horrible british weather gives me a break!

If you don't know anything about this series then just scroll down the page to become enlightened!!

Let me know what you think?????

6X7 Scans of New York as promised.

2010-03-27T10:00:00.000-07:00

Like I said last week; I would host a few images of NY taken on my RZ, So here they are, a few pictures as promised.

Most of the images shown are of the High Line and Coney Beach, and some are just random... well they're all random I guess... Oh and please remember I have given more information on this trip and reasons why I have made these images just a little further down this page. So please have looky!

Images below are taken from the boardwalk that runs the length of the beach : Coney Island. I found the buildings that reside at the edge of Brooklyn very interesting. I would, in the future, like to return and photograph every building that sits by the sea, and potentially the people that live within the dwellings.

I decided to show these two images as I loved the light that kept sweeping in and out of the heavy snow that fell across the city. I only managed to catch this light on the two frames shown.

The images below are taken from and of the High Line.

On a recent trip to New York.

2010-03-19T12:06:00.001-07:00

I have been on two recent trips to New York City and have been meaning to upload my thoughts and Images of this infamous city. Well to be honest there are a high number of images I would like to upload but will restrict them; heavily.

My highlights of the great city was without question the Highline - a disused rail rd, that runs off the docks of the hudson and into Chelsea. If you are unaware of this delight the I suggest looking into it, First stop should be Joel Sternfeld's book - The Highline.

Second of all was Coney Island. As a surfer of Coney Island, Wales, I have a strange love affair with the run down Fun Fair and was compelled to see the Island we [the welsh] had built ours after. I desired to see any resembling features (people and buildings) and to feel the energy of NY's famous attraction. It is a place that I fell in love with and will be returning to make a serious piece of work as soon as possible. Maybe in a years time? as thats when I plan to seek work and live in the city, a city as captivating as they say it is.

I will upload the 6x7 scans of the work made in Coney Island some time next week, so stay tuned!

Flash Tests 101

2010-03-19T11:06:00.000-07:00

I have decided to upload some flash test snaps I made about a week ago. The reason being, I was shocked at the quality of light I received from such a cheap flash unit and wanted to show that you can get a high quality result/finish without using big expensive units. I purchased the flash unit for just $40s at B&H Photographic in New York. I wanted nothing more than a simple unit to bolt on to my cameras when I'm doing nothing more than taking my 'tourist snaps' on my travels and carrying my heavier units was just not an option!

So if you are in the market for a cheap and reliable flash unit then I would recommend a METZ C20. They are a great price and very small and light... hahah Its like I'm advertising them!

Cardiff - 'old city, new saga'

2010-03-18T13:53:00.000-07:00

I have been watching Cardiff develop at a considerable rate over the last five years or so and decided to photograph the city as I see it today, in order to remember it tomorrow. I love the way a photograph works as a visual historic document and how it can spark ones feelings, for good or bad when viewed.

I get very nerdy and thoughtful when I look at old pictures as I love exploring the past in such a way. So for my own reference to the past I have been making pictures (on my little 'domestic' digital camera) on my day-to-day travels in and around the city of Cardiff. They DO NOT serve as anything of intellectual nature, they are nothing more than an observation of time; a particular time in my life and the city I grew up in.

Work in progress - 'Spy on thy Neighbour'

2010-03-18T13:12:00.000-07:00

"A bomb won’t go off here because weeks before a shopper reported someone studying the CCTV cameras"

(Metropolitan Police Anti-terrorist Campaign)

'Terrorist Paranoia Syndrome' has been brought on by the Government and its smaller branches, the local authorities, issuing questionable campaigns throughout the Media that instil paranoia within the public. Largely based around the idea that a terrorist cell could operating in 'your' street and police also instigating that one should not 'Trust thy neighbour ' but to 'Spy on thy neighbour'.

In addition to such a campaign, the Government has used this 'terror tactic' along with the idea of 'Crime Prevention' to install CCTV Surveillance Cameras around the city of Cardiff. The Capital now has 210 CCTV installations within its parameters. These 210 CCTV cameras are relayed back to an operating room that has only two operating staff monitoring the city at any one time, in order to keep watch on the city and its citizens in the name of 'safety'.

There is however, a 'grey' area for reasoning on this issue as it was never approved by parliament and there was never a single CCTV Act that enabled it.

Citizens have been officially instructed by authorities to "ignore these CCTV cameras and pretend we don’t see them". It has got to the point where an interest in CCTV is now regarded as suspicious in itself.

Greetings my fellows.

2010-03-18T11:52:00.000-07:00

So it has happened. I am here at last. I have been saying for a long time, I will get a blog when I know what one actually is... Well the truth is I still don't know, but hey, as they say 'You are born only knowing life'

I will be using this space for a number of reasons-

1) To exhibit my photographic practice; Some form of visual explanation of my thought process and my view on many subjects that surround me, us; people on the whole.

2) I will also show images that I make that have no pretentious or elaborate intellectual meaning and images from other practitioners that I feel need to be shown, either for the sake of inspiration and/or for the want of sharing such delights with my soon to be dedicated followers?!

3) Too top the above I will be putting forward the writings of my minds ramblings. Thoughts that are often provoked by a sentence or word I might hear at some point through out my day-to-day goings on, or issues that control, depict, inspire, outrage and stimulate my thought process and aid the way I see the world. QUESTIONS, QUESTIONS, QUESTIONS, I LOVE QUESTIONS! Be it if a question is offered to me in search of an answer or one of my own questions that end up leading me in someway towards gathering more knowledge of the world we call home and the creatures that reside on it... did you notice I started to Ramble!

So to conclude, I guess I will be using this blog malarky for the same reason that everyone else uses it for!

I hope you enjoy and keep coming back for more. Thanks for your time.