Concrete Waterfall
I’ve finally put up my latest project ‘Concrete Waterfall’.
Due to be exhibited at the Artrix in 2011, its been a long term personal project of exploration and discovery about living in the countryside near the Motorway.
A departure from my usual style, I originally wasn’t going to do anything with the work but after sequencing and editing over 500 photos, the resulting series felt strong enough to expose.
See for yourself:
www.gwbenson.co.uk/concretewaterfall
You should look at……
I was thinking the other day, not that I normally don’t think and just sit around all day gazing at butterflies, but…..
When people see your work do they say:
“Ooh that looks like Roger Dodgers work, you should have a look at his stuff”.
I know this is intended as helpful and I’m sure looking at people who create similar work to you, gives you an insight into whether you are treading on toes (?), pushing ideas forward, or in this day an age gives you academic info gubbins to bolster your theories, reasoning and arts applications but….
… wouldn’t it be better to recommend looking at something different, maybe similar ideas but not ‘the same’, maybe other art forms that are similar…. something to thrive off and build new ideas rather than “Look at this guy he does the same as you”.
;)
Exorcising the devil from my printer.
Exposing yourself
I have a project on at the moment, well it’s in the final edit stages, and I’ve been looking at opportunities to ‘get it out there’. As well as a nearby arts centre (the project has local connections) I have been looking at the idea of exhibiting it some more interesting public spaces. My reasoning for this is twofold - firstly I want people to see the work because I’ve spent ages on it and think it’s really good; secondly I want people to engage in art as personally I think it’s incredibly fulfilling.
This reminded of some recent conversations about getting exposure for your work and the reason to do this. As an emerging artist getting your ‘work out there’ is very hard and it’s what you strive for through almost any opportunity that comes along. However you quickly realise that there are two worlds out there.
The first is related to ‘your CV’. The few words on a piece of paper that leans like an incomplete ladder to new opportunities, you’ve just got to fill in all the gaps. The hunt for rungs can be an all-consuming pursuit to add bigger and better and just more and more. The importance of getting your work in front of ‘special” people, influencing possibilities and jumping ahead leads to world of private views, private VIP views and VVVIP Private views (Frieze Art Fair).
The second is what you imagine before you get your first opportunity. A land where the people come and see it in many numbers, discussing its virtues, leaving inspired, telling their friends. The press love it and write about it and you are hailed an important place in the history of all…….. then you realise that actually not many people come to the gallery, maybe 1 or 2? O well at least it’s another rung on the CV.
At the top of the ladder is hopefully a utopian arts existence, although whether this is world where you work is quickly sold off to private buyers in closed galleries or an opportunity for you to be paid to properly allow everyone to see it is probably up to you.
It’s worth remembering that popularity is a fickle world. The public aren’t exactly always pleasant about art but then neither are critics and ‘special’ people, but they may understand your crazy concepts more. The pursuit of exposure can seem selfish and narrow minded maybe but as with everything the need to pay the bills can turn the best of minds. As long as you have some integrity and love what you do just enjoy the ride.
No.
Another meeting last night for the Contact the exhibition at Birmingham Central library. Before I joined the photography Collective I’d never been in the Library and my first visit was a strangely mesmerizing and disorienting experience mainly because of the wonderful escalators that seem to channel their way deep into the depths of an industrial machine of a dystopian future.
This week I had the compulsion to continue upwards as far as they would take me imaging I would appear in some sky-lit dome able to watch flying cars with a feeling of hope and…… well it was all a bit claustrophobic.
Beer label from our recent competition entry……3rd place out of 3 a great result! A great experience regardless of the result we had some good comments from the punters. Thanks to GWBENSON for his quote and Roger my father in law….We will come back stronger for next years competition…..we’re not bitter…
Contact Exhibition
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This is the first fruits of the Photography Collective, well its actually a collaboration between the Photography Collective and very nice people at Birmingham Photospace. Supported by Rhubarb-Rhubarb and curated by Kathryn Kliszat it features the work of seven very talented photographers from both groups in the West Midlands (including myself). It really has been a busy and exciting few weeks creating a whole new body of work and preparing for the exhibition. I’ve been designing the logo and website too and working with Prabhjot Virdi-Smith on the flyer and poster design. Its an amzing team effort and I’m very proud to be working with a very talented and hard working group of people.
So, make sure if you are in the area to get you legs of down the road from Birmingham city centre and the bull ring and have a look at the work and buy some of it too!
Check out the website/blog and find out more about!
Ale Review 01
I was very lucky to have tried some fine home brew the other week. Brewed by the lovely JimmyPhoto who I have had the good fortune to meet through The Photography Collective (more about that in just a min).
I thought i would give it a litle review as, well it was jolly nice.
It was refreshing to drink something from a bottle with no label for a start, giving me a different level of anticipation and intrigue - opening a mysterious secret long lost brew. The colour was just right, bordering on the nice richer edge of golden, and the first taste was, well quite sensational. Very zingy and hoppy, tingling my taste buds and making my mouth water. Suffice to say I polished it off very quickly and was left wanting more. It all went down very well with no after tinges that make you feel your head might regret this later.
Thouroughly looking foward to the next taste!
Frame/Mount sizes - arent they wrong?
Well, I was going to have a tittleritttle rant about this myself but seems someone else had the bright idea too - why are mount/frame sizes based on old view camera sizes and digital aspect ratios?
http://www.scottkelby.com/blog/2010/archives/11698
I wonder if anyone is listening apart from the avid stream of Scott’s followers?
Found
Researching a new project and came across these lovely things from Blake Fall-Conroy:
I like the minimum wage machine!
