We had two new members join us, Gia and David (Archer) who were most welcome and both submitted an image to the Portfolio session and contributed to the discussion. We had nine images in total in the Portfolio to discuss and its surprising how this format takes time as we all offer our views on each image. Each image we discussed in detail and also explored post processing ideas that I could test out 'live' in Lightroom. I think this worked really well.
We were due to have three speakers in the second half, but in the event only had time for Judith. Don't worry, I shall rebook Peter (Wilson) and David (Whitbread).
Judith gave a presentation that definitely took us out of our comfort zone. It was about an American born photographer, Thomas Joshua Cooper, and his amazing project 'The World's Edge - an atlas of extremity and emptiness '. I think I can safely say most of the group found this project a challenge. In summary, Cooper has spent 32 years working on this project, covered five continents and visited the most extreme locations around the Atlantic coast line. Having arrived at a location, he would take just one photograph, using a large old fashioned plate camera. The photographs would all be taken looking out to sea. The result is the body of work where all the photographs look largely similar, show no recognisable subject that would identify the location and (for the typical photo enthusiast), would be regarded as not very attractive.
What a strange project. What an investment in time, effort, and personal risk. Feedback just overnight from members have said it is self indulgent, crackers, and (politely) its not for me. But this, and other items of Coopers work are in the Tate and the V&A and have appeared in multiple exhibitions, including one in Edinburgh which is on at the moment, and Cooper himself has gained an international reputation.
So what does this mean for ESIG and our humble band of enthusiast photographers. We can like the work or not, but it is there and is recognised by some highly reputable organisations. It shows a world outside club photography, which is just good to know about. It shows what a 'project' might look like in the extreme, on a different scale to ones we might come up with. It also shows that a project is far more than just the photographs. In this case the whole story and the history of the locations make up an integral part. Is it art .... who knows.
There's a lot to think about. Maybe knowledge of this project will sit on our shoulders when we're out on a shoot and just nudge us in a different direction. I promise future ESIGs will get back to more familiar territory but I found this really thought provoking. I'd like to thank Judith for putting so much effort into preparing the presentation and for showing us something completely different.
Judith has provided a number of links should you want to follow up further
Link to the Tate: https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/thomas-joshua-cooper-4744
On Landscape Conference: Meeting of Minds 2018 - talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQEF1c0Q0AY
an extra - the interview in the On Landscape magazine, public access: https://www.onlandscape.co.uk/2017/03/thomas-joshua-cooper/
Ingleby Gallery in Edinburgh: https://www.inglebygallery.com/artists/75-thomas-joshua-cooper/overview/
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/10/07/a-photographer-at-the-ends-of-the-earth
https://bellabathurst.com/thomas-joshua-cooper2/
Exhibition: https://www.nationalgalleries.org/exhibition/thomas-joshua-cooper-worlds-edge
We were due to have three speakers in the second half, but in the event only had time for Judith. Don't worry, I shall rebook Peter (Wilson) and David (Whitbread).
Judith gave a presentation that definitely took us out of our comfort zone. It was about an American born photographer, Thomas Joshua Cooper, and his amazing project 'The World's Edge - an atlas of extremity and emptiness '. I think I can safely say most of the group found this project a challenge. In summary, Cooper has spent 32 years working on this project, covered five continents and visited the most extreme locations around the Atlantic coast line. Having arrived at a location, he would take just one photograph, using a large old fashioned plate camera. The photographs would all be taken looking out to sea. The result is the body of work where all the photographs look largely similar, show no recognisable subject that would identify the location and (for the typical photo enthusiast), would be regarded as not very attractive.
What a strange project. What an investment in time, effort, and personal risk. Feedback just overnight from members have said it is self indulgent, crackers, and (politely) its not for me. But this, and other items of Coopers work are in the Tate and the V&A and have appeared in multiple exhibitions, including one in Edinburgh which is on at the moment, and Cooper himself has gained an international reputation.
So what does this mean for ESIG and our humble band of enthusiast photographers. We can like the work or not, but it is there and is recognised by some highly reputable organisations. It shows a world outside club photography, which is just good to know about. It shows what a 'project' might look like in the extreme, on a different scale to ones we might come up with. It also shows that a project is far more than just the photographs. In this case the whole story and the history of the locations make up an integral part. Is it art .... who knows.
There's a lot to think about. Maybe knowledge of this project will sit on our shoulders when we're out on a shoot and just nudge us in a different direction. I promise future ESIGs will get back to more familiar territory but I found this really thought provoking. I'd like to thank Judith for putting so much effort into preparing the presentation and for showing us something completely different.
Judith has provided a number of links should you want to follow up further
Link to the Tate: https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/thomas-joshua-cooper-4744
On Landscape Conference: Meeting of Minds 2018 - talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQEF1c0Q0AY
an extra - the interview in the On Landscape magazine, public access: https://www.onlandscape.co.uk/2017/03/thomas-joshua-cooper/
Ingleby Gallery in Edinburgh: https://www.inglebygallery.com/artists/75-thomas-joshua-cooper/overview/
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/10/07/a-photographer-at-the-ends-of-the-earth
https://bellabathurst.com/thomas-joshua-cooper2/
Exhibition: https://www.nationalgalleries.org/exhibition/thomas-joshua-cooper-worlds-edge
