Sozza.......

To all the people who have asked me to post stuff about shows, work, projects etc. I promise I will I'm just a bit crap at the moment.

The Girls.

Image copyright The Girls, Andrea Blood and Zoë Sinclair

The Girls are Andrea Blood and Zoë Sinclair. I'll avoid mentioning Cindy Sherman because I bet that really must piss of female artists who dress up and photograph themselves. Can I say Jo Spence on drugs? People having fun with photography. Carry on.

Critical.

Image copyright Toni Greaves

Photolucida are showcasing a shortlist of 50 entrants to their CRITICAL MASS EXPOSED 2009. Some people have said that the way to win this is pretend to be Alec Soth put a parka on and head North (America not Accrington) and photograph people who live in snow and shoot small furry animals in order to make gloves and pants and stuff. That snowy stuff photography always gets a good showing at the moment at least in the US.

I actually think that CRITICAL MASS is a pretty eclectic mix with loads of good and varied stuff in there. Tell you what why not judge fer yer sen. HERE.

'Street Fighters' by Ciara Leeming.

Image copyright Ciara Leeming.

Manchester based journalist and photographer Ciara Leeming is working on a story about The Government's Housing Renewal Scheme and issues of regeneration in The North of England. I know a bit a bit this, living in one of THESE areas and in a house that was no doubt taken off some poor soul. There are of course two sides to every story and I'm sure Ciara will tell it. I know that I'm no YUPPIE (do people still call them that?) I rent this house, it's a couple of streets away from where most of my misses folks are from, so the accusation of outsiders that often is, can't be levelled at us. I could also mention that a decade ago no one wanted to live around here whatever people say. No it was a complete shit hole that had already had it's heart torn out in the 1970's and where you could get on a scheme to buy derelict empty houses for £99!

That's my experience around here and of course it will be different in other areas and there are always victims that just shouldn't be, like old Elijah above. Read his story HERE and also listen to the audio. The rest of the series can be found here INTRO PART 1 PART 2 and PART 3 It's a complicated and emotive issue that Ciara's taking on. Excellent.

Bare With Me....

I'm just having a think about stuff like THIS in relation to both photography and blogging. Is this blog just another pebble in a very big stream? To quote Ian.

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