Earlier in the week I had a pretty bad cold, so I retired to either the bed or the couch. On one of my many stints on the couch with only the TV for company – I came across this ridiculous advert (and was nearly sick in my Lemsip) for National Geographic sponsored Ambi-Pur fragrance. Now, I’ve never been a fan of National Geographic and it’s cynical brand of photographic “truth”, but this seems completely derisory. Why would such an esteemed photographic journal team up with such a ghastly product? Especially when it’s parent company Sara Lee scored 33 out of 100 in a recent survey conducted by Climate Counts. Here’s me thinking National Geographic made a concerted effort in bringing conservation to the forefront of social consciousness.
I am involved in an exhibition space/pop up shop/hang out starting from tomorrow, brought to you by those clever kids at Created in Birmingham. The space is in the Birmingham Bullring, which is especially exciting as over 40million people visit the monstrous centre every year – giving a unprecedented amount of exposure for the people involved. Super.
Fun starts at 5pm (opposite Apple/H&M) and music from Colour and Sister 45.
We’ve all seen those unnerving billboards with the ersatz face of David Cameron on them. Now those clever kids at mydavidcameron.com have given us the chance to give his ego a make-under by allowing us to create a pastiche of said billboard. Brilliant.
There are some absolutely beautiful photographs on Laura McPhee’s website. I was especially interested in the “Family Portrait” series as most of my work focuses around the domestic sphere, she approaches the subjects with grace and humility. I just wish the images were bigger and the website easier to navigate.
One of my favourite bloggers, Colin Pantall, has just raised some interesting questions in this post here. He talks about the iconic Myra Hindley photograph and the person who created it.
My main man – Jonathan Cherry talks to photographers about their work (me included) on his website Mull it Over. He’s just interviewed Noah Kalina, I like Kalina’s work (it’s very humorous in places, see above – he took a picture of himself everyday for a long time) and I like Jon interviewing him.
Now that the festive season is over, time to think about photography again. It was nice to not think about it for a while as well move into a lovely new apartment. I’ve really been enjoying Mike Brodie’s (a.k.a The Polaroid Kidd) work recently, he photographs the marginalised members of American society with a care-free meandering vernacular aesthetic. His portraits are truly stunning.
“Since teaching art has been destructive to the practice of every artist I know who teaches, I try never to forget that the few good, serious teachers of art pay a price that’s way too high for the privilege of doing it.”
- Dave Hickey
It’s funny, since I’ve been teaching – I haven’t taken a single photograph until yesterday. This is the first new piece of work I’ve made in over three months. How am I meant to teach anything new if I’m not making relevant work? Well, I’m not sure how relevant my work is – but you get what I mean. I love teaching but it does seem to harm your own practice.
