Fashion Tip

Fashion tip and maybe a good way to plug the blog? http://www.chipchick.com/2008/10/w-41.html

Insight America

Insight America http://insight.magnumphotos.com/ is an ongoing and live website brought to you by Magnum www.magnumphotos.com and edited by Fred Ritchin from www.pixelpress.org It is supplied with photo's exclusively by Magnum photographers on a daily basis and will be until the election in six days time.

Yoshihisa Kajioka

Image copyright Yoshihisa Kajioka

Badly scanned grainy black and white shots of the seedier side of Japanese life uploaded to a pretty basic website, http://www.digikazi.com/ Ring any bells? Maybe www.moriyamadaido.com but I still love them. Check out the diary section as well called "Digital Hate"?

Signs of Life (part 1: Liverpool)

100 Seel Street, Liverpool
6 – 23 November 2008 http://www.threeweeks.org.uk/

Thursday – Sunday, 1pm – 5pm
Preview: Saturday, 1 November 2008, 6.30pm – 8.30pm

Thirteen artists tackle a derelict town house in the centre of Liverpool to create new installation artworks that respond to the suggestive atmosphere of the building. Stripped down to an empty shell through dilapidation, it is a view into the past; but one that is at once absurd, disturbing and poetic as each room conjures up disjointed narratives and fantasies.

Signs of Life emerged out of a dialogue (Three Weeks) between artists, Pippa Koszerek and John O'Hare, it is the first project to involve artists from Final Intervention, a recently formed UK-wide network of early and mid career artists and curators interested in exploring overlooked and derelict spaces. Considering what constitutes a disused site they have both chosen spaces in their respective environments, South London and Liverpool that offer very different perspectives on notions of 'final' and 'Intervention' taking the mystery of each location as a point of departure.

Bram Thomas Arnold explores drawing directly onto the different surfaces available within the dilapidated interior, drawings that wander through the building.

Justine Blau appropriates photographs taken from the web to create miniature 3D landscapes that deal with common ideas of Utopia and fantasy.

Anna Chapman integrates sonic manifestations of 'hanging around' with the existing soundscape of the building.

Gordon Culshaw undermines the privacy of the home whilst humorously discarding the evidence of surveillance so that the viewer quickly becomes obsolete.

Dave Dixon creates an impermanent installation using particle-based materials, quartz powder and dyed rice flour in a process-oriented exploration of the house.

Jemma Egan will appropriate one of the rooms as she tries to welcome birds back into the house.

Sharon Haward plays with lurking shadows of the spiral staircase that runs through the heart of the house to explore the forces of nature that have weathered and shaped the building.

Ruth Martindale uses the garden overgrowth as source material to create objects which hover between functionality and uncanny artefact.

John O'Hare attempts to perfect nature through planting painted artificial trees, accenting the waning colours of the unkempt autumnal garden at Seel Street.

Laurence Payot responds to the patterns and shapes on the walls that have emerged through years of neglect, revealing the moment when reality becomes artificial and the artificial becomes reality.

Emily Speed responds to a book found in the house 'The House Under the Water' and constructs miniature and submerged landscapes amidst the dust and debris

The Unasked-for Public Art Agency announces a new heritage scheme for 100 Seel Street, playing with the aims and techniques of preservation.

Elizabeth Willow takes the intrusion of nature and the ivy creeping through the windows as a starting point for her delicate sculptural process.

This project involves artists from a number of networks including: Final Intervention, Post, Royal Standard, and Wolstenholme Projects. It has been generously supported by The Art Organisation who have facilitated the use of 100 Seel Street.

Watch out for: Signs of Life (Part 2): Colliers Wood mid-November

Sent as an Email,

Funny As F##k Friday

I can't believe it's Friday again already, anyway I give you Dave Chappelle. Although it's Clinton V Bush it's still timely. Oh and funny. Hope you have a good weekend, It's sunny today in Manchester, nice one. I'm going to take my camera and go out to play....

Ryan Giggs Dream Eleven.

Interesting. No Beckham no Rooney. I like it but would have to swop Neville for Jap Stam and Hughes for Rooney. This is from the players that Giggs has played with, all except fo one! No prizes for spotting that player.

Colin Blakely

Image copyright Colin Blakely

I've wanted to avoid posting anything about the American elections and so far with the exception of some nasty photo's of John McCain http://manchesterphotography.blogspot.com/2008/09/on-greenburg-v-mccain.html I've managed it. There's many reasons why I've been an American election free zone, like for instance, every other blogger and his mother already has posted & posted about it, I'm sick of seeing it, I don't know enough about American politics even though British telly is trying to get me up to speed by showing some programme on the US of A almost every bloody night. And I know I could pretend to be absolutely fascinated by the elections this time like everyone else, but to be honest I'm not bothered. Sorry, but I'm not.

I can see though that these are pretty dramatic times for Americans. A time of change, A culmination of an uncertain journey started way back in 2001. And I am interested in how American photographers will come to explore and record this period in Their countries history. Which brings me to the work of Colin Blakely www.colinblakely.com and in particular his series "Somewhere in Middle America" http://www.colinblakely.com/swima/ This work, by this artist is a fantastic start to what will no doubt be an interesting time for anyone who enjoys pictures more than politics.

Manchester Criminal Masterminds Caught on CCTV!

http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1138237012/bclid1137745824/bctid1871011335

Kelly Mark

Image from "Full Body Fun Fur Suit" by Kelly Mark

I have just spent a fun packed hour or so on the website of Kelly Mark an artist based in Canada. Her work is funny, clever obsessive etc, Take for instance the picture above, making a fun fur suit for her cat? She admits she doesn't know why. Or take "Smoke Break" a site specific piece from 2004. With this she spent 8 hours chain smoking outside a building with two 15 minute breaks and 1 hour for lunch where she didn't smoke! effing brilliant. Kelly Mark www.ireallyshould.com

The School in August by Phillip Larkin

The School in August

The cloakroom pegs are empty now,

And locked the classroom door,

The hollow desks are lined with dust,

And slow across the floor

A sunbeam creeps between the chairs

Till the sun shines no more.

Who did their hair before this glass?

Who scratched 'Elaine loves Jill'

One drowsy summer sewing-class

With scissors on the sill?

Who practised this piano

Whose notes are now so still?

Ah, notices are taken down,

And scorebooks stowed away,

And seniors grow tomorrow

From the juniors today,

And even swimming groups can fade,

Games mistresses turn grey.

Philip Larkin

The title of and inspiration for, my next series. Which I am working on at the moment. Looking at the history of The Whitworth Street School which was founded in 1900 and is still going today as The Shena Simon Six Form Collage. Using typology to explore that history. I'll put up a link when it's on my homepage.

There and Back

Image copyright Tadhg Devlin

Newport has, for a number of years had a fantastic reputation for turning out the next generation of talented Documentary photographer's. Judge for yourselves with this years MFA graduates. Here: http://www.thereandbackphoto.moonfruit.com/#

A Long Exposure: 100 years of Guardian Photography.

Image copyright McPhee/Guardian. That could have been me on that Chopper!

Don't forget to go to The Lowry and see this http://www.thelowry.com/WhatsOn/EventDetail.aspx?EventId=3466 I'm hoping to get there early next week. I'm looking forward to seeing the legendary Don McPhee's http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/s/1002/1002942_don__a_life_in_pictures.html pictures as I missed them when they were at Manchester Art Gallery. Here for a good selection of Don's Guardian Pictures: http://www.guardian.co.uk/gall/0,8542,1384820,00.html

An Invitation To You.

Image copyright Simon Norfolk

Your invitation to a unique photography event…
Special guests: Simon Norfolk, Jacob Aue Sobol & Simon Roberts Friday, 7 November 10am-5pm Business Design Centre, London N1

BJP’s essential annual event for pro photographers
Come and learn from the best in the business at Europe’s only event dedicated to aspiring professionals and early career photographers.

Vision returns with a packed programme of talks, seminars and folio reviews at an upmarket new venue at the Business Design Centre in London Islington, providing inspiration, information and essential ideas to get your career moving.

This year’s show features talks by two of Britain’s hottest photographers – Simon Norfolk and Simon Roberts – who’ve carved an international reputation for their fine art documentary work, while continuing to shoot for the world’s top magazines. We are also flying in one of Magnum Photos rising starts, Jacob Aue Sobol, winner of the most recent Leica European Photographers Award Many of the industry’s leading manufacturers will also be there to showcase the latest products and services announced at this autumn’s Photokina trade show, providing a unique opportunity to meet key innovators all together under the same roof. With an emphasis on creative cutting edge, and focusing on effective tools and solutions to further your business,

Vision is this year’s don’t miss photography event
7 November, London IslingtonTickets £10 + £5 portfolio review

Sent via email from BJP

Should Magnum Do Fashion Photography?

Is a question being asked by Alec Soth www.alecsoth.com over on the Magnum blog.

By Alec Soth

"Lise Sarfati just released the latest edition of Magnum's Fashion Magazine. All of these pictures were made in Austin, an area Lise previously mined in her book The New Life. She also chose to photograph many of the same people; none of whom are professional models." ... http://blog.magnumphotos.com/2008/10/should_magnum_do_fashion.html

Duckrabbit productions.

"Chucking Out" from the DUCKRABBIT crew.


I'm a huge fan of digital storytelling, ever since I first saw the work of Daniel Meadows http://www.photobus.co.uk/ So imagine my utter chuffedness (is that a word? I'm not always sure) when I got an email from the founder member of Duckrabbit http://www.duckrabbit.info/ Benjamin Chesterton. He together with photographers namely David White a Bristol based photographer www.nospin.co.uk make compelling narratives using digital storytelling techniques. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_storytelling

The above presentation "Chucking Out" is about that common site in most British cities on a weekend, to0 much ale and it's effects. It also features a gobby Manc, which I guess is also pretty common! There is also an interesting connected blog at http://duckrabbit.info/blog/

Along the same lines, last year I registered www.manchesterdigitales.blogspot.com and although so far it's just sat there gathering virtual dust So this seems like a good time to ask if anyone out there has any digital storytelling connected to Manchester/Salford send it in and I'll upload it and we can get the ball rolling.

OK, bloody great way to start the week!

Funny As F##k Fridays

Still one of my all time favourite stand ups. Eddy Izzard.

Pause To Begin.

Above is a taster of Pause To Begin. A new and interesting project brought to us by Flak photo www.flakphoto.com and photographers David Wright http://www.davidwrightphoto.com/davidWright.html and Ethan Jones http://www.ethanaarojones.com/. They have travelled across the USA & Mexico to conduct interviews and discuss contemporary (American)art photography with a selection of 15 photographer's. It should be interesting if not a little narrow. Different images and work will be uploaded to the Flak website during October.It's just a hunch but I'm expecting a lot of large format stuff!

There's an old Anglo Saxon word for you.

How would anyone think this was a good idea for a photograph?
http://www.thefstopmag.com/?p=275 words fucking fail me. Whats the point? I know people who could knock that up in an hour on photoshop without the cruelty. Maybe there's some concept behind it? or maybe just some advertising revenue?

And we wonder why people find it hard to take photography seriously as an art form. You will have noticed how I've kindly not linked your name with this post, as I'm sure that one day you will be ashamed of these ridiculous and humiliating images.

Shaw & Shaw

I first met Shaw & Shaw at the start of this year as I nervously attended a selection night for Projection 08 at Redeye's www.redeye.org.uk scary HQ on Edge Street in The Northern Quarter. I'm not great at social occasions or indeed in mixed company, or in fact in the Northern Quarter, and even a couple of plastic cups of dodgy red was doing little to help me relax. It was then I started to talk to one of Shaw & Shaw. It was Shaw I believe and they made me feel right at home.

I heard about their book project "Lost in the post" then, and I'm glad to say it, along with their new website has finally arrived. http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/interactive/2008/sep/10/communities.post

Looking forward to taking a closer look at this one. Here for Shaw & Shaw's website www.shawandshaw.co.uk

P.S how cool are those flyer's? they arrived together done up with Royal Mail elastic bands like that in the post!

Matt Siber

Image copyright Matt Siber

I think it was Martin Parr who said "Consumerism should be the new front line for documentary photographers" Well, Matt Siber may not be a documentary photographer in the strictest sense, but his work is playfully and skillfully pulling apart consumerism and branding. www.siberart.com