World Press Photo – Dam Square

I am a bit of a sucker for a photography exhibition so while recently in Holland working on my own photography project, I had to take the opportunity to visit the World Press Photo exhibition in the stunning setting of De Nieuwe Kerk in Dam Square.

World Press Photo is an international press photo contest featuring over 160 photos by 42 press photographers, many of which were taken at events that shook the world and featured heavily on the news but also some that documented incidents that I hadn’t previously read about.

As the walls were not suitable for displaying the large scale images, they were mostly hung from wires attached to the ceiling or on wooden display units on the floor.

One of the images that stood out to me was Earth Kiln (below) by Li Huaifeng. It is of two brothers that live in a cave that has been cut out of a hillside in central China. As well as the interesting story, the photograph has an artistic effect and I actually thought it was a painting.

As well as photos there was  also a digital storytelling contest with some really interesting documentary films on show. One of the films I found captivating was 30 videos all edited together to create a 10 minute timeline mapping the Las Vegas massacre.

I was really impressed with the work on show and glad I made the effort to travel into Amsterdam city centre to pay it a visit. If you happen to be in the area up to 22nd of July and you are a fan of photography then you may want to check it out! Tickets cost €11.00 and entry is free for under 11s. There are also concessions available.

Metro imaging and end of year show

Metro imaging is a Photographic, printing, framing and retouching service with a shop just off Clerkenwell road in London.

Most people that want to print everyday photos will probably use an online service or high street shop but if you are looking for something special then a C type or Giclee print is the way to go, often used by professionals or photography students that are displaying work for a gallery.

Metro imaging is very hands on, you can go in and print your own work in a variety of sizes with staff members on hand to provide assistance or you can send it over via the website. There are so many options to chose regarding printing on different media and finishes that it can seem overwhelming but it can also give your work the wow factor and make it stand out from the crowd.

This is a selection of work printed on different materials, including wood and metal.

We visited Metro Imaging as a class as we were preparing for our Pilot major project work to be exhibited at the end of the year. It was great to see how work can be displayed in so many different ways and a few of us from class decided to use the services of Metro imaging to print our work.

My project has been documenting the journey of the flower and you may have seen in previous posts that I have visited places such as New Covent Garden Market and Columbia road flower market. I have also been spending time with an event florist in their workshop and accompanying them to events to photograph for them.

I ended the project with a selection of nine images printed out in A3 and A4 size I then mounted them myself on mounting board using the vacuum press at uni. I didn’t chose the images that I thought looked the nicest but the ones that told the story of the process the flower goes through in its short lifespan. I am hoping to carry on this project in semester two  and hopefully visit some floral gardens in Holland and spend some time with the charity Floral angels who donate bouquets of flowers to nursing homes and refuges after they have been displayed at events.

We were all really pleased with our exhibition which was displayed at Borough road gallery and looking forward to the final major project which should be displayed at Free Range photography festival in The Old Truman Brewery in East London in June.

Here are some of the work of other students…

Media networks @ Tate modern

We recently went to visit the media networks exhibition at Tate modern to look at the different ways the artwork is displayed. We will be putting on our own exhibition at university soon and wanted to see if the way in which something is displayed can make an impact on how it is viewed.

The exhibition is looking at the way artists have responded to the ever-changing technologies and how this has impacted the mass media. Divided into lots of different rooms are a diverse range of techniques and materials from drawings to posters and analogue technology. It touches on subjects such as feminism, the cult of celebrity and consumerism.

I like the placement of this work directly facing the doorway, inviting you in to explore the next room.

I love that there was such a variety of work from so many different artists, including Barbara Kruger, Andy Warhol and the Guerrilla Girls. It is a large exhibition and viewers are probably not going to like everything but if you are feeling worn out by the end you can always take the weight off on the swings or even a lie down in the Turbine hall.

The media Networks exhibition is on in the 4th floor Boiler room and is free entry. There are loads of other things showing as well but I always find when I visit Tate modern that I can only see one exhibition at a time because it is just so big!

Have you been to the Tate recently?

Fair luxury presents @ Goldsmiths’ centre

The Goldsmiths’ centre in Farringdon is described as a unique community for design, creativity and craftsmanship. It is a leading charity for professional training and plays host to events, exhibitions, workshops and studio space. I visited after hearing about the Fair luxury responsibly sourced jewellery selling exhibition.

As I walked through the entrance I was greeted by the exhibition that filled the bright and airy atrium. It consisted of photographs of miners in Uganda, taken by photographer Ian Berry as well as loads of information about ethical and sustainable extraction of raw materials.

You may have seen in my photography post taken at New Covent garden market that I am working on a project following the journey of a flower and this project is really similar following the journey of gold, from being mined to travelling across the world to be made into stunning jewellery pieces, so I thought it would be great to visit the exhibition for my research.

I really loved that the photographs were very focused on the people and that hard work that goes into mining. The description for this photo is ‘A sluice cloth, used in the process of partitioning gold from sediment, is washed in a river basin adjacent to the mine’

Further along are photos of the gold after it travelled to the UK.

The second photo here shows how the ‘maker Tony Power, uses a precision gauge to measure and manipulate the width of a solid gold ring.’

As well as photographs the exhibition also featured a film and display cabinets filled with jewellery created by fairtrade gold licensees.

There were some really beautiful pieces of jewellery and each one had a note about the designer and descriptions about individual pieces.

The Goldsmiths’ gallery was a perfect space for this exhibition and I will be looking out for future events there. If you would like to see fair luxury presents it is only open until 27th October but it is free to visit.

A movie on the roof

Last year I went to watch The wolf of wall street in the park. It was my first experience of an outdoor movie and after leaving halfway through after nearly catching frostbite I thought it would be my last.

Fast forward to 2017 with an invite to the rooftop film club and I think how bad can it be? Well it did include deckchairs rather than sitting on a blanket on the grass and they do provide blankets so possibly warmer than previous experience.

The rooftop film club has four venues across London and I attended the Bussey building which is a rather old, industrial concrete building that has been saved from demolition by being turned into a top arts venue.

After breathlessly reaching the sixth floor we were told to enter the left hand side which is where the rooftop bar is situated. As the event was in collaboration with Corona we were given a bottle to enjoy accompanied by some tapas from Rockadollar dogs to eat while taking in the stunning sunset views of the city until the film was ready to start.

Luckily the weather at this point was quite mild and there wasn’t a raindrop in sight. We were given a fleecy blanket although it was quite thin so I’m glad I wrapped up for the occasion. We were also given a pair of headphones like the ones used for the silent discos with adjustable volume so you can listen to the film as loud or as quiet as you like, it also drowns out the sound of other people talking and doesn’t make you feel so self conscious about making a noise as you would in a normal cinema. An added bonus is that the headphones also keep your ears warm!

The views on the screening side were just as great and the deckchairs were more comfortable than I expected. The movie on show was Romeo and Juliet (it seems outdoor cinemas have a thing about Leonardo DiCaprio) and most of the films on show are cult classics from across the decades.

I hadn’t previously watched The 1996 adaptation of Romeo and Juliet and it was explosive to say the least, a lot more action than I was expecting from a love story but the visual cinematic version definitely brought the story to life. The rooftop was a perfect setting for the movie, as the wind blew in one of the scenes you could see and feel the wind blowing around you which made you feel cold like you were there with the characters. Sitting under the stars watching aeroplanes sail above makes for a rather romantic evening of movie watching, and if it was warmer it would have been a perfect date night. As I am adverse to the cold I think I will look forward to my autumn evenings on the sofa and wait until summer comes back around before attempting another outdoor movie night.

Tickets for the rooftop film club are £15 which includes the headphones and blanket but there also membership options available.

Have you ever experienced outdoor movie watching?

The infinite mix – A video exhibition

If you have a particular interest in video or just like to see new and innovative work being exhibited then the infinite mix is the place for you!
Situated at The Store in the Strand is a collection of work by 10 different film makers in collaboration with the Hayward gallery and The Vinyl factory.

Each video is completely different and they all last for varying amounts of time (between a few minutes and six hours…yes six hours! But this is mostly just music being played so you dont have to stay that long). Weaving your way through corridors of darkness does seem a bit like your in one of those haunted houses at the fair but then your greeted by large screens, not knowing what your about to watch. A couple of my favourites were

Martin Creed – work no 1701

Martin Creed often focuses on movement and gesture and this is a video featuring a range of individuals crossing a street in New York, he is looking at how people move through the world in different ways and paces, it is accompanied by a jubilant pop song that gives it a celebratory feel which is what I liked about it.

Ugo Randinone – Thanx 4 nothing

This is a video of legendary beat poet John Giorno shown on four large screens placed around the room with various television sets surrounding the space. They all project Giorno in a mixture of long shots and intimate close-ups standing barefoot on stage. He is giving a speech on his 70th birthday, reflecting back on his life and the people and events that shaped it. I found Giorno quite captivating (maybe because I was surrounded by his face) and loved the humour in his speech.

I wouldn’t say all the videos were to my liking, some were just weird but I’d say that there would be at least a couple that would appeal to anyone so it’s worth checking them out.

It is a bit like going to the cinema and not knowing what you’re going to watch and the weird thing is that because of the varying time frames you will go in midway into the film so its worth taking a minute to see what its about before entering.

If you think this exhibition may be something you would like then get down to 180 The Strand (close to Victoria station) and give it a visit. Entry is free and it is open until December 4th.

*images taken from the infinate mix website