Our combined year 12 & 13 trip to Brighton was SO much fun. It was a beautiful day. The exhibitions were fantastic; my favourite was Harley Weir's as she has composed the most interesting set up - inside a chapel hung her photographs which were printed LARGE on some kind of translucent fabric/netting which I think was supposed to resemble the migrants uses of materials to build homes and shelters for them and their families.
Harley Weir
"Photographs taken immediately before and during the destruction of the migrant and refugee camp in Calais known as The Jungle. Weir underlines shared humanity by focusing on domestic and intimate details against a backdrop of displacement and uncertainty."
Harley Weir is first and foremost a fashion photographer having done numerous shoots for magazines such as Dazed, Idol magazine, Wonderland magazine and many more. However in 2016 she went to 'The Jungle' in Calais (northern France) - the refugee camp where migrants lived in very poor conditions, trying to make a new life in the UK. Her collection of images called 'Homes' (made in October 2016), taken immediately before and during the clearing of the settlement. "Weir's images highlight both the humanity and ingenuity of those living there - emphasising the domestic and familiar against a backdrop of displacement and uncertainty". Images of Calais in particular have been central to the debate about immigration, both in the UK and mainland Europe. What I love most about Harley Weir is that she initially published the series as a photobook, and the proceeds form sales were donated to La Cimade - a French charity committed to protecting and defending human rights. Charities trying to help the cause were even banned, by French authorities, from giving out tents and other supplies to migrants so that no new camps could be set up. Razor topped fences were built in effort to stop the thousands of refugees attempting to make their way to the UK.
"Weir offers a different insight, showing us the personal spaces of the camp created in the face of oppression and indifference from those most able to provide assistance. In doing so, she intimates the wider human story of the misery and resilience of refugee experience". 70% of profits made from the Brighton Photo Biennial 2018 (which we are visiting on our trip to Brighton) are also being donated to the Hummingbird Project Brighton. I feel that Weir is a hardy personality - she wants to be involved in the community and affairs which affect humanity. This is a very admirable trait for a person to have. Below are a few examples of Harley Weir's images from 'Homes':
My own images of Harley Weir's exhibition:
Émeric Lhuisset
"Unfixed cyanotypes tell stories of different generations who have migrated to Europe. The images will fade to blocks of blue - reflecting the sea and the colour of the EU flag."
"In his biennial show, L’Autre Rive, Lhuisset’s work goes so deep, it immerses viewers in the psyche of a refugee, as his on the ground experiences trace the real danger, plight, and emotional complexity of searching for a better life...The show’s most striking image is one showing the very short distance between Turkey and Lesvos: a sea of 500km that has sadly claimed the lives of many who have attempted to cross it, after being forced at gunpoint onto leaky rafts in Turkey." (below)
Lhuissent's cyanotypes are taken from the viewpoint of a refugee - what they would see/encounter when on a voyage for a better life. The blue colour of the print feels solemn and cold. The enormous outstretch of malevolent sea reflects the almighty oppression the refugee families face. The way the sea fills most of the page also emphasises this. The fact that people will risk their lives crossing the relentless ocean on the off chance that they (and their children) will make it, and hopefully set up a new life, evokes anger in me. Governments would rather pretend the issue doesn't exist rather than trying to help.
I think that Lhuissent's interpretation of the migrant crisis is very creative and heartfelt. The unfixed nature of the cyanotypes mans that the image will eventually fade away into a completely blue surface. I think that as a viewer, you can interpret this purposeful element of the images implies a number of different ways. A literal interpretation would be of the migrants physically disappearing into the ocean. I can also interpret this gradual fade as the notoriety of the issue (being talked about in the media for example), gradually becoming a thing of the past and then forgotten - phased out in society, replaced by coverage of a natural disaster or a celebrity death.
Tereza Červeňová
"An autobiographical response to the June 2016 referendum, Tereza, a European artist living and working in the UK, explores how meanings of home and plans for the future are now shaken and in limbo."
'June' is a collection of photographs taken over the course of two years surrounding the notion of Brexit. As a native Slovakian woman, the UK leaving the EU would most definitely have an effect on Tereza. Her fait is undecided. To say the images are about Brexit would be wrong, but as Červeňová explains, Brexit was where it began. “Because my work is very diaristic and has always been very personal, I knew there was no way that this [the Brexit vote] would not have an impact on my work.” Please use the sharing tools found via the share button at the top or side of articles. Copying articles to share with others is a breach of
(sourced: ft.com) Along with many young people, she felt that something precious had been taken for granted — the ability to travel, study, work and fall in love anywhere in Europe — was in the process of being snatched away. “So many of the decisions were taken by grandmothers and grandfathers who’ve never experienced the privileges and benefits and beauty of the free movement of people in the EU. Of being European, of feeling European . . .
She divided the two years of her project into months, using the date and place each image was taken as the titles for her work. exact middle June 2017 few days before borough market few days later grenfell tower photography became a voice very much part of process analogue process people need care like images emotive personal
BELOW are my favourite images from the Brighton trip:
As I've spoken about before on my 'Personal Investigation Part 2' page, my images were all taken on a digital camera with the viewfinder and screen covered (with black electrical tape) - except the photos of the Harley Weir exhibition. I really LOVED experimenting with CHANCE for the day. Most images came out better than expected which I am quite proud of. The fact that I had no control was FREEING and EXCITING. I thought I would hate the challenge but I actually really really liked it.
I always try to be honest with my work and myself. I feel that this is the only way to truly express yourself and your opinion.
Peeling back the tape to reveal the images which had been kept a secret from me all day was very thrilling for me.