Touchy Subject ?

It's the paralympic games that's got me thinking about disability (which of course is partly the point of the games) and I've been thinking about photographers either disabled or not who make work on the subject. There's a fair bit  of work been made about soldiers returning from the numerous wars that are going on and of course there's a large contingent at The Games representing that group, but outside of war casualties I've  not seen much photographic work been made on the subject. So I put out a shout on facebook via flak photo network and a new history of photography network  (both recommended if you are on Facebook) and I got back a fair few names both of disabled photographers and photographers who make work about disability. I'm sure I got back less though than if I had asked for a list of say oh I don't know.... say photographers who make work about Detroit. Why I wonder? Do able bodied photographers fear getting it wrong and the backlash and possible harm it may do to a career? I shall feature those name I got here over the next few days.

I had already decided to feature Ian Dury's Spasticus Autisticus on the blog before I saw it covered so well at the opening ceremony of the games. Once banned by the BBC now played as part of the celebration, Progress. There's also an interview with Dury done by Manchester's very own GRANADA.

P.S. Blogger spell check has no knowledge of the word Paralympic. Just saying.....

My old cocker Harvey Benge drew my attention to this article on the state of German photography a report by The Goethe-Institut. It's an interesting read and underlines that photography is well assimilated into a wider German art (I'd love to see one on the state of British photography)

I also love Harvey's new site featuring stacks of his work btw. See it HERE

THE MANCHESTER PROJECT

"Originally started back in 1999 the initial inspiration came from W. Eugene Smith’s PITTSBURGH PROJECT. The aim to make as complete a portrait as is possible of a city, in this case Manchester.


The archive exists as several hundred sixteen by twelve inch prints. It is also a blog which can be seen HERE.

THE MANCHESTER PROJECT is divided into eleven chapters which are; GROUPS, TOPOGRAPHY, LIFE, YOUTH, BUILD THEM UP KNOCK THEM DOWN, CONTROL, WORK, SHOPPING & PLAY, FOLK, SIGNS and DEBRIS.

THE MANCHESTER PROJECT may never be finished."

So reads the blurb that I have just upload over at my website. That's why I've not been writing here for a couple of weeks. I've been building THE MANCHESTER PROJECT blog which is a proper photo blog. No talking shit by me like here, just photo's.

Woof.

Small selection of new stuff HERE

My Pretend Salford.

Salford & other Myths is a set of pictures I've just uploaded HERE They are photographs (shot on film with The Frances Tonks Memory camera) of Salford or at least a Salford that lives in my head. It's not real Salford (was it ever like that?) it's the Salford of artist's and writers imagination that grew into something else. It's a pretend Salford of the first half of the twentieth century. It's a shared imagined and remembered lost past. It exists parallel  to the media barrage of scrotes and the riots and the new big Tesco's and no pubs and shiny media city. Those things are pushing my pretend Salford out of my head and I wanted to document it before I lose it. Below are things that have helped to create my lovely "in your head" Salford.

Photographs Found Under Oscar Wilde's Bed Shock!

I know how folk love a salacious headline with their Sunday morning breakfast. It like most headlines is of course complete bollocks. This picture and lots of others taken at the start of photography, comes from one of the most off the wall photo blogs I've found. MY DAGUERREOTYPE BOYFRIEND whose tag line is "Where early photography meets extreme hotness" brilliant and really silly.  

Odd.

How the general public view photographers.

Good Morning Salford!

Chat.

A conversation between two of my favourite Manchester photo artists Mishka Henner & Seba Kurtis HERE.

Digital or Film?

Boring but not in a good way.

"The festival is not open to the new developments in photography, new technology, new names and faces. Film is gone. We have to stop clinging to it like some grail with the power to grant new life."

So writes Jean-Jacques Naudet  about this years Arles festival on LE JOURNAL De La PHOTOGRAPHIE. Now never having been (although I once showed work in a fringey bit) I can't possibly comment.

Henrik Malmström

I'll admit that one of the main reasons I started blogging back in 2007 was self promotion. It wasn't the only reason I also wanted to get a good go to link list of photographers who's work I liked, but mainly it was about getting a presence on the web. That probably reached it's peak a couple of years in, ran it's course, achieved as much as a blog by someone who is not part of the photo/art establishment can. "Hits" stats are fairly constant at around 9k a month so I'm not complaining but as a PR tool for yours truly it's maxed out. 

So that brings me to why I still bother. One reason is I like most artists love the sound of my own voice. The other increasingly important reason is that I get to meet, hear about and interact with all kinds of tip top folk. Over the years I've met and maintained friendships with photographers/artists from the other side of the world as well as just down the road. I also on occasion get smashing free stuff. Henrik Malmström continues that tradition. Henrik contacted me and asked if he could do swopsey's with my book 'Art is Godd'. he was offering his book 'On Borrowed Time' I nearly snatched his virtual hand off.

It's not an easy book. I was immediately transported to a very private family experience, cancer. Strangely enough it was a family situation that was very much at the forefront of my mind as it was almost twelve months to the day that my family were in the same situation as we watched my Father fall to "The big C" .  Henrik's moving series goes beyond being a darkly beautiful and touching personal tribute to his sister Maija and becomes a document of a shared human experience.

What England can look like in the summer. I remember showing this photo to a mate and telling him that it's where my folks had moved to. He looked at the picture for a couple of minutes and said "What are they fucking hobbits?"

Okabe Tokyo

Proper mad bollox that's what this is. Japanese, by Tokyo Okabe. I love it. Loads of self portraits wearing big pants and picking your nose. There's not enough of that in the photo world. HERE for his pretty crappy website and HERE for a better look at his unique work. I'm off to set light to my head.

Decided that this week it would be a complete waste of time bothering to send submissions or trying to contact European photo people as anyone who is anybody will be in ARLES.....You can find me in Manchester all week.

Stephen Wiltshire.

See more of Stephen's work HERE see more of my drawings in the bin in my office.

New Cliches of Photography #27

If you go down to the woods today, back to nature woodland folk.

Kelley Walker.

There's a Kelley Walker show opening tomorrow night at Manchester Art Gallery details HERE. Up top is a little film about his work. It's in French. I'm trying to add class to the blog. If like me you struggle with English let alone another language there's an interview HERE .

Today town was all cordoned off around spinningfields while they took THIS dick to court. Police everywhere, coppers with guns helicopters the works. That will only panda to him and all the other little shits who have watched too much telly and listened to too much shit rap. No they should of handcuffed him, made him wear a dress and took him to court in a fucking icecream van.

Erwin Wurm

I bet you've all heard of Erwin Wurm already haven't you? Well I've only just done so let me enjoy.