Image Masahisa Fukase

18:00 27/02/2010

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!

F**k BEST WISHES send money................

Ari Marcopoulos

This spring Foam_Fotografiemuseum Amsterdam presents an exhibition by the Amsterdam-born photographer and filmmaker, Ari Marcopoulos. Marcopoulos (b. 1957, Amsterdam) set off for New York in 1979 and quickly became a significant documenter of alternative youth culture in America throughout the last three decades. Foam is showing work from his entire oeuvre, ranging from photos of the emerging hip-hop and downtown art scene in New York in the 1980s and the snowboard and skate culture in the 1990s, to frequent depictions of his own family in Northern California over the last ten years. KEEP READING.

He's one of them photographers BIG enough not to have to piss around with a website he has galleries to do that for him. although interestingly enough he does blog HERE. Not my normal meat & potatoes skating and all of that but he does produce some really interesting images.

All images copyright Mark Page

Kersal Massive.

I saw this and I had to bring back Funny as Fuck Fridays. Kersal is just down the road from me and where I'm currently making work. I saw this and I swear down I laughed so much a little bit of wee came out. Then I felt a bit guilty. All Dickensian, "bless them little urchins" I thought they've made a film and at least had enough about them to upload it on YOUTUBE.

Then I thought no fuck um, any little toe-rag can use a phone camera and YOUTUBE, and anyway give them a couple of years and they'll rob your car. Cynical, judgemental, What me?

"I'm there wiff me day save-orrr"

Philippe Spigolon

Back in the early nineties I spent way too much time in and out of hospitals. I won't go in to too much detail but I spent most of 1990 in various Bristol Hospitals. Why am I telling you this? Mainly to add some authority to my opinion when I say that French photographer Philippe Spigolon series 'HOSPITAL CENTER' is right on the money. So many memories came flooding back even though this work is made in a French hospital. It's that long dreary, monotonous, sterile, boredom that these images capture so perfectly. It makes me think of Philip Larkin's 'THE BUILDING'.

There's lots of fun quirky Typologies on Philippe's site, the series 'HOSPITALIZED' is not one of them. Powerfully poignant and side stepping sentimentality the mono was a perfect choice. I'm gushing about Philippe's work I know, Best thing I've found in my inbox for a good while. Just wish there was some more text about him and the work.

The Deutsche Börse Photography Prize 2010

We know of course (Come on Anna!) the four nominated (come on Anna!) photographers up for this years The Deutsche Börse Photography Prize (come on Anna!) Here's an introduction by The Photographers Gallery's Stefanie Braun. (Come on Anna!) Did I mention I'm Shouting for Anna Fox.

Video found HERE.

Elsewhere.

Image copyright 'Tania'


The Elsewhereness online weekly magazine is an outgrowth of the "Elsewhere" social community network project - a grassroots movement and independent community dedicated to fine art and social visualization driven by a Middle East-based team of photojournalists and visual artists. Both projects are completely volunteer-based.

The Elsewhere social network offers an educational framework in the field of visual literacy. The network's vision is to develop, with the cooperation of galleries, museums and alternative spaces, a series of workshops with an emphasis on local Middle East projects. By using its website as a platform for featuring portfolios and its weekly online magazine, the network establishes a common international space enabling dialogue among Palestinians, Israelis and others.

The Elsewhereness is a unique project aimed at motivating positive social processes and creating a common ground for Palestinians and Israelis who live in a reality where mobility and the ability to meet face-to-face is restricted; a reality which denies communication (physically by fences and isolation, and socially by public (mis)conceptions). The magazine presents artists work and articles, and is the only one in the region dealing with social issues through visual art.

Peace through photography? Why not, they've tried everything else. See their website and plenty of 'Top' work HERE

Hans Peter Jost.

Image Copyright Hans Peter Jost

Hans Peter Jost's project 'COTTON WORLDWIDE' deals with cotton production well, worldwide. Manchester the once greatest cotton city on the planet no longer figures although much of the old original infrastructure remains. Perhaps he should take a trip here to put his project in an historical context, he's been to India, China etc so compared to them Manchester's just around the corner from his base in Italy. More details below from photography-now.com.

Cotton is grown on every continent, in a broad range of environmental conditions and under widely disparate conditions of production. It is an important raw material for a highly varied and profitable value creation chain, and it is traded on commodities markets throughout the world. Cotton is at the center of the dispute surrounding agricultural subsidies, and it is an important tool in development aid. International chemical companies have just as much interest in it as do the advocates of ecological farming, since it consumes more water, fertilizer, and pesticides than any other crop.

Cotton was already traveling around the world from producer to consumer in colonial times; all that has changed today is the routes it follows. Thus in one common scenario, cotton fibers from Texas are sent to China to be processed, then wend their way to the fashion runways of Paris, and finally travel as old clothes to Africa, where they are worn as secondhand fashion.

Hans Peter Jost has created a photographic portrait of cotton on his trips to India, China, Brazil, America, Uzbekistan, Mali, and Tanzania, documenting the lives and working conditions of cotton farmers and the cultivation, harvesting, processing, and marketing of cotton.

Christina Kleineidam, who accompanied the photographer on his travels, describes what they saw and offers background information on the specific problems of the individual countries. The economist Pietra Rivoli explains the global realities of the cultivation and marketing of cotton in her foreword.

Sometimes....

I forget how good, good Hiphop can be.......

Of Course No One Does It As Well As The English..

Reality TV

New show by David Dunnico at THE ROYAL EXHANGE Manchester. This spot is turning into a bit of a photo show space, and what's great here is that David's work on CCTV is being displayed at the same time as the theatre are showing a play of Orwell's 1984. See what they did there, clever shit. I love this series of David's THEM trying to stop US taking pictures at every opportunity THEM watching US as much as they can, most of US doing fuck all about it in that endearing English manner It's timely, and the optimist tells me that come the glorious revolution, or a politician with integrity which ever comes first, this will be of great historical significance as people of the future in silver jumpsuits sit around discussing in dis-belief our surveillance state. Thank fuck for pigshit thick scouse coppers or I'd be worried.

Anyway details of show above, private view 5:30pm Friday 26th (any later David turns into a pumpkin) Catch some of you there and I promise not to get pissed for this one....

What Is England ?

England has finally overtaken China as the place for English photographers to photograph. Every one's at it, as alluded to by Marcus HERE. Stuart Pilkington's taken the curator route to explore this sceptic Isle. He's drawn together 50 photographers, given them a county each and four loose topics in order to come up with a portrait of this land. He's done it before with America, roping in some stateside golden guys & gals of the photography world for that outing. HERE for that. So how will the England version pan out? Find out by following the progress HERE.

February, Northern England.

Greengate.

Image copyright Mark Page

Oscar Fernando Gómez:TAXI

"There was a fire one day. I was talking to a friend of mine. I said to him “let’s take a photo.” He was in the taxi. It had no windshield, I used to rent the cheapest taxis.

The day I took this photo (the first photograph in the slideshow, ed.) I set out to make a photo album to show to my baby girl one day. If I wouldn’t have any money I would simply leave her the history of my life. I used to take landscape photos during my days off. But my wife was pregnant and I knew it would be a girl. She died the day after she was born. It was a Saturday, November 25 of 2006.." READ ON & SEE MORE HERE.

Kennardphillipps

I do like the collaboration of KENNARDPHILLIPPS . Although the Irony of them charging £3600 for a light box of one of their works is not lost on me.

Portfolio Magazine @ 50

Image copyright Mitra Tabrizian

Just got the latest edition of PORTFOLIO MAGAZINE. It's celebrating it's 50th edition. It's a survey of (in their opinion) the top 50 photographers currently working in the UK. I think on the whole it's a pretty fair assessment. There is the usual suspects, a couple of people who I think are missing and a couple that......well they must be well connected is all I can say.

On the whole worth buying. A good stock take of British photography at the end of the decade. Magma on Oldham street, Manchester had a couple of copies left or you can buy it from the PORTFOLIO site.

From The Foto8 blog

Uprooted from the Real: Photographers without a stance

"At a recent editorial meeting, the Foto8 team and I shared a common frustration, that is also a professional conundrum, about some of the most celebrated photography from the past year or so, including work we’ve featured in 8 magazine. We’re talking about well-received documentary work by established photographers on significant subjects. What we find incongruous is that we are unsure of the basic moral position of the author in relation to the socially significant subject matter." Keep reading HERE this Interesting and timely post.

Similar-ish Shit Different Century.

Image copyright Mark Page

I ride past these Gasometers on my bike twice a day as I make my way to and from work, as blokes have no doubt done for the last hundred years or so. I may wear a plastic helmet instead of a flat cap but I bet like many of those working men I set off this morning with a job and returned tonight without one. As I looked up at them Gas towers I felt a connection to those fellas on them old bikes.......

Fucking hell cheer up I got redundancy money. I bet all they got was an old pie or a mouldy clog or something...

Photography Is Easy, Photography is Difficult by Paul Graham.

Image copyright Paul Graham

"It’s so easy it's ridiculous. It’s so easy that I can’t even begin – I just don’t know where to start. After all, it’s just looking at things. We all do that. It’s simply a way of recording what you see – point the camera at it, and press a button. How hard is that? And what's more, in this digital age, its free - doesn't even cost you the price of film. It’s so simple and basic, it's ridiculous".

Continue reading Photography Is Easy, Photography Is Difficult, HERE
and then when you've read that continue to read Harvey's blog HERE A lot more interesting than many a blog as he spends his weekends with people like Paul Graham and Rineke Dijkstra. HERE & HERE

I saw Kevin off corrie the other day........

Early Morning, Start of Ship Canal.

Image copyright Mark Page

Matthew Comer Exhibition.

Click on Image to view details of when & where....

Manchester based photographer Matthew Comer is having a show of his series 'Rooftops & Watertowers' at URBAN OUTFITTERS on Market Street with an opening night, free drinks & nibbles affair on the 27th February. In this official art venue/gallery desert called Manchester we are all going to have to start thinking more out of the box when it comes to places to show work.

Justin Partyka (again)

Not the first time that I've mentioned Justin Partyka's THE EAST ANGLIANS work. I've been following it for years now. It's an ongoing long term committed project. It's heading towards the kind of important piece of social documentary work, that although different in execution, could prove as least as important as say the work of Tom Wood. I also like his trend bucking use of 35mm film camera's, it adds an intimacy and spontaneity that is often missing in contemporary large format documentary work.

Here above is a nice little off shoot of that project.

Cruel Town.........

Image MEN

A body can lie in this centre of a city undiscovered for perhaps 50 years............

EXPIRATION NOTICE.

It's one year today since me and Stan launched EXPIRATION NOTICE. It sadly only lasted for 3 editions but I am still immensely proud of it. I'm not really sure why it didn't take off. We got plenty of 'hits' but after an initial flurry the submissions dried up. Who knows maybe one day it will arise from the ashes like a wonderful fiery photographic Phoenix.

'Pilgrims'

My latest series 'Pilgrims' is now uploaded to my website HERE. There's no text on the site yet as I'm hoping to get someone to write a bit of a forward. So in the meantime here's a bit of blurb about it all.

I had wanted to make work about Old Trafford/United/fans for yonks. I'd had a dabble back in the late 90s when still at college. After starting to visit I soon realised that it was the fans that interested me. As they arrived similar rituals started to become apparent. They nearly all had their photographs taken by friends and family at one of three or four spots. Fans from all over the world had come in part to have their picture taken at OLD TRAFFORD. This was often the first thing that they did, even before visiting the souvenir shop.

I loved the poses of the people, private poses in a public space. If I had of approached and gained permission they would not have been so relaxed or so down right daft! I allowed the family photographers to decided the distance from subject and the position of the subject, I tried to get in close and take a similar shot. I love the fact that I now have similar or the same photographs as people from all corners of the world. I had them printed at a high street shop. I've had 6 packs of these photo's printed.

An Introduction....... The Photograph As Contemporary Art.

Opens tonight @ URBIS highlighting the work of the students who attended the 6 week course. Preview tonight 6pm - 8pm bar open. Show then on until URBIS dies on the 27th February...............................

We're The Taliban And We're All Gay.

It's no wonder The Taliban hate dancing and music and are mean to women. It's repressed homosexuality. They need to come out of the closest and be proud. Maybe the British Government could pay for a night out on Canal Street maybe they could do a bit of Karaoke in Churchills on a Sunday night.

These strange photo's were collected by Magnums Thomas Dworzak from Afghanistan portrait studio's. He explains HERE.

This is an interesting, different take on photojournalism. Not the usual method granted but he has fulfilled the role in as much as he has showed me something that before I was unaware of. In this case that The Taliban are all 'friends of Dorothy'.

Proper Photo Blogs & 90s Boy Bands all in One Post!

Image Tom Rice-Smyth

Image amgphoto

By Proper photo blogs I mean blogs that concentrate on photo's as posts, little or no words and not some twat like me prattling on.

First up a very welcome return after a bit of a hiatus, Mr Tom Rice-Smyth and his revamped and fully redecorated "LIVING HERE" Day to day wondering about London Town.

And second up 'STREET LEVEL' by Aonghais Macinnes which takes you around the backstreets and off the beatern track of NYC.

A Pair of Proper Backstreet Boys - Everybody (Backstreet's Back)

Colour Documentary Work? England? 1965? Bloody Nora! The Work of John Bulmer.

I only became aware of John Bulmer's work a while back when he had a relatively small show at Manchester's Royal Exchange Theatre. A contemporary of Don McCullin he seemed to have slipped off the radar for a while at least as a stills photographer, concentrating more on documentary films. With colour documentary work as good as this and while Martin Parr was only just in long trousers, his photography work should be better known.

Well HERE'S a start. More of his work HERE.

Don McCullin @ IWM North

"I became a war junkie, I have a lot to be accountable for really" Say's McCullin at the end of the above film. A photojournalist with over 50 years of experience who as far as I know is not nor ever has been offering classes (see last post). See his show the largest and most comprehensive to date entitled 'Shaped by War' at IWM North from the 6th February.

Zoriah I'm Glad I'm Not you........

"I have decided to offer a special small group workshop in Haiti focused on photographing the aftermath of the earthquake. Subjects covered will be working in disaster zones and other difficult and dangerous situations, survival and logistics in difficult environments, photograph people, working with NGO's (Non Governmental Organizations) and aid organizations, editing and digital darkroom technique and marketing and making your stories available for the world to see.

In addition to working together as a small group, each student will receive one full day of one-on-one training in the field with me. This will allow each student to have their personal needs met and get one-on-one instruction in addition to that of the group activities.

This workshop is open to a maximum of four students. Cost is $4000 USD for seven days and students will be required to pay their own expenses." Writes Zoriah HERE. 4/2/10 Zoriah lost his bottle or found his conscience and took down the post. MP

Along the same lines:

Sunday you can put "yer two penneth worth" in on a BAG NEWS NOTES. As to how Haiti has been represented by photographers so far. Photojournalism as an Art (and I'm not sure that it is) has always been a little bit brash, a little bit gungho, a little bit shock & awe. Great for the Sunday papers, the Picture Post even the coffee table book, but it seems to me to be stuck in some strange no-mans land between the instant (relative) objectivity of TV crews and the subjective slower more considered Documentary/Art photography. If it's remit is to inform and show us things a new and after 50 or 60 years it continues to rehash the same cliched images of suffering what's the point? You would be better off staying at home and photographing Jordon's tits, that's beginning to seem more honourable. It seems now certainly with Haiti and perhaps before, that it's becoming more about paid education, like some sick self perpetuating pointless ultimate photo holiday. It has as much relevance for the modern world as the blood thirsty etching's in a Victorian tabloid.

Thank fuck for Simon Norfolk, Broomberg and Chanarin, and the like is all I can say, at least they are using the stills camera to produce something more than disaster/war porn.

Thanks to the eagle eyes of Stan & Pete.

WWW dot........................

WWW dot THE GODFATHER dot COM

If you like blogging and I'm guessing that you may have a passing interest, then you maybe interested in THIS. I liked that it touches on the fact that already in it's relatively short life the web has hierarchies appearing, new establishments, big fishy types. I think we can already see them forming in our own little pond that is photography. Is it inevitable? does it matter? Shall we always strive to keep them in their place? Shall I have another bag of cheese & onion before bed?

Clement Cooper @ NEW ART EXCHANGE.

Manchester's own Clement Cooper is one of the artists featured in a new group show in Nottingham at THE NEW ART EXCHANGE called 'The Meaning of Style'.

"Young African Caribbean men have often been portrayed as low achievers and perpetrators of crime in British society. But now, with Barack Obama winning the presidency of the biggest superpower in the world, will we see these same young men portrayed in a different light; as a source of huge potential for the future? Will the achievement of black youth in Britain over the last 40 years be recognised and honoured?" CONTD

New Cliches Of Photography #19

Semi-naked attractive American white kids hanging out of trees. I love that I found this on a site where the blogger conscientious though he is, says at the bottom of his last post about Joel Sternfeld that, and I quote "The obvious bores me" ?!??