AUGUST RESIDENCY

My own Stories from an autonomous space is titled Playtime in reference to Tati's last major long feature.
The pictures are now hung and ready to enjoy with a coffee in Marylebone.

Playtime
I have photographed the East-End from 2009 until early 2012 to analyze the shift experienced on the way to the recent London Olympics and gathered materials to be presented in various ways. Today I want to pay hommage to French film director Jacques Tati. Playtime was not only his masterpiece but also his downfall.
Best known for his modern silent tales based on humour and nostalgia they also depict human activities in the most mundane scenarios. That said there is always a strong underlayer that questions modernity, politics and aspirations to a better world thanks to innovation, colossal developments and capitalism.
I think the contemporary Olympian agenda would have been of a great inspiration for another Tatiesque feature where laughter is always around the corner. 


Directions: 
Workshop Coffee Marylebone
75 Wigmore Street
London W1U 1QD
nearest tube Bond street
open until 6pm daily

JULY RESIDENCY

It was an immense pleasure today to hang photographs of the London Docklands with artist Mike Seaborne.
Short stories from an autonomous space residency takes us back to the end of an era in black and white.
Seaborne's pictures are cinematic, atmospheric and always surprising. By glancing at the ten prints you will be transported and captivated.

London Docklands 1983-4
With plans for redevelopment announced in the early 1980s, it was clear that London’s Docklands was soon to be transformed. Although the docks had been disused for many years they were still largely intact and I realised that this was the last chance to document a significant part of London’s industrial landscape before it disappeared for ever. It saddened me that the great industrial heritage represented by the docks and the communities of people who had devoted their lives to this once essential part of London’s economy would be swept away and replaced by new service industries that local people would not be qualified to work in and new up-market housing that they would not be able to afford.

Directions: 
Workshop Coffee Marylebone
75 Wigmore Street
London W1U 1QD
nearest tube Bond street
open until 5pm daily

ESTUARY / DOCKLANDS MUSEUM

I am just coming back from the Museum of London Docklands. This my first visit to this new location and was quite excited to discover how the show would be devised. I was also very keen on seeing Peter Marshall's photographs.
My reaction few hours after is actually more excitement than before stepping in. The exhibition space is great, convivial, intimate, surprising and has the perfect size. One work can also be found on the third floor, so this is very organic and entertaining. The show is described has being a selection of contemporary artists, and that description always worries me when it comes to this kind of museum. But very quickly it appears that they got it right as the mix of mediums is clever, appropriate and surprising. Peter Marshall's photographs are colour and panoramic. They present new property developments along the estuary and shore scapes in the ever growing London East End titled Thames Gateway 2000-04. Sharp, understated and revealing are his pictures. My best experience I have to say remains with John Smith's Horizon. It is a video of still frames 18min long. This montage of the sea in different states is in the continuity of Hiroshi Sugimoto's contemplation of nature's beauty mixing abstractions, minor events and sounds. This is truly one of the best experience I have had in years!!! I am still very surprised as why Mike Seaborne's stunning estuary colour landscapes are not present in this exhibition!? Just go there and enjoy, it is really worth it.

http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/docklands/
Estuary until 27th October
London E14 4AL
 By DLR: West India Quay
 By Tube: Canary Wharf
 By Bus: D3, D7, D8, 277, N50, D6, 15, 115, 135

MIKE SEABORNE INTERVIEW

1/ Dear Mike, first of all I would like to know what drives you towards photographing the unwanted or forgotten London?

London is where I live(d) and the place I know best. Photographing what other people ignore, that which is banal or ordinary, seems the most important thing to do in order to provide future generations with something to counter the stereotyped images produced by advertising and the media

2/ The captivating landscapes you are collecting go further than depicting emotional stereotypes. How do you describe your approach? What are the key features or recurrences you have been able to notice at a later stage, or produced deliberately throughout the years?

I would describe my approach as archaeological. I am interested in the landscape as evidence of human activity, past and present. The theme which has most concerned me is de-industrialisation and the negative social and cultural impact this has had. A certain amount of nostalgia is involved in this - tapping into people's innate sense of loss and a feeling of helplessness in the face of the immense social and cultural changes wrought by global capitalism.

3/ How would you explain best the marginal direction of your photography. This thought could be applied to most photographers engaged in the platform but I think you might be the perfect example of " how NOT to do it right" if you understand what I mean. That dilemma comes with whether you wish to capture and deliver what is in tune with the medias or art scene, or whether you take the alternative of producing over a long time period something which makes more sense when looking back.

I do what I do irrespective of whether it is 'in tune' with the current media or art scene. I am more interested in producing a body of work over a period of time which will, hopefully, have some historical significance in the future

4/ Do you have a photographic routine and what interest you most?

My main routine is to work on photographic series rather than individual images and to maintain a consistent approach across the photographs in a series

5/ Does your work relate to certain theories, thinkers or writers?

Quite possibly, but as I don't read a lot of photographic theory I may not be aware of it. On the other hand, I do tend to take note of other photographers' images, ideas and experiences. My favourite quote is Bill Eggleston's "I am at war with the obvious".

6/ Would you say in some ways that your work is politically engaged? My thoughts here are more directed towards a philosophical discourse rather than an active and direct opposition?

Definitely, yes. I want people to take notice of what is being destroyed in the name of progress.

7/ What is your relationship to the medium? Do you have other interests? Is there any burden with photography that you find solution from others?

Sometimes photography seems like a huge burden, at other times it becomes the only purpose in life. My main other interest is classic cars - which I also like photographing!

8/ Could you imagine your life without a camera?  No

 
9/ Finally, how would you describe what Photography is today for the ones that wish to make a career of it?

I would say that photography is now almost dead as a documentary medium, having been replaced by a technology which is really only a simulation of it and so has little or no long-term cultural value. Everyone is now a photographer and because photography has become a craft-less technology with minimal user input, I can see no meaningful future in it as a career. 

JUNE RESIDENCY

Our Shorts stories from an autonomous space take us to the Hackney Wick area in the coming up of the 2012 Games. Arnau Oriol Sanchez depicts real characters and unusual urban landscapes. The depth and colour of this series are not to be missed.

(Pre)Olympic Landscapes
Commissioned by the Hackney Museum this work looks at an area in transformation. Hackney is one of the four boroughs in London that hosted the 2012 Olympic Games. That fullfilled me with certain pride because being a resident it was a nice way to establish a relationship with a place I don’t belong to. I soaked the place, studied the work of some local photographers and read literature about Hackney. I realized that some of the odd and fascinating legacy of Hackney Wick was fading in front of my very eyes. Then I looked for images that could explain the transitional and ephemeral nature of that place. I also tried to capture the detached nostalgia.

Directions:
Workshop Coffee Marylebone
75 Wigmore Street
London W1U 1QD
nearest tube Bond street
open until 5pm daily

MAY RESIDENCY

I am delighted to present as an exclusive Chris Dorley-Brown's Fogs series. 10 images are available for viewing at Marylebone Workshop Coffee & Co. Short stories from an autonomous space are now halfway through the year and we hope to have more to show you by the end of the year in a different format. Meanwhile our artist photographers will fill up the space individually and monthly as usual.

The Fogs
The fog is primarily a mystery. Quintessentially British the mist evokes the drama.  The former East End fog recognised as being produced by the now long gone heavy industries is taking a new role. Its gothic charm has never left our psyche and it thrives in invoking the working class and its tragedies.
Chris Dorley-Brown’s Fogs are landscapes to be lost into. He depicts common architectures being absorbed by this atmospheric phenomenon. In return we re-focus on the history behind those walls and we wander the tarmac mentally. Chris’ Fogs aren’t simply an illustration but a field of study in which we become the central character. Because it is only in the state of being lost that we encounter our true dimension as individual. The Fogs series enable us to invest the East End in a personal quest.

Directions:
Workshop Coffee Marylebone
75 Wigmore Street
London W1U 1QD
nearest tube Bond Street
open until 5pm daily

JOHANSSON INTERVIEW

1/ Hi Kajsa, can you present yourself please? Where are you from and what interests you?

My name is Kajsa Johansson, I am 25 and born and raised in Gothenburg, Sweden. Apart from photography which I studied at both college and university I also enjoy listening to and finding new music, visiting art galleries, making DIY projects and fixing things, cycling etc.

2/ More than ever I would compare Photography to the act of writing. Would you accept this comparison?

Sure, both in more serious situations like in newspapers and in televised news broadcasts as well as in more informal medias such as on blogs and in advertising, I would say that images are increasingly being used to convey a certain message. It is possible to get an idea or a piece of information across faster by presenting an image which can be "read" more quickly than text if it is aptly constructed.
The premise of photography being a form of writing could also be applied to when images are put in a specific order creating a narrative or story-line. Personally I would use this while putting together an exhibition or a monograph since I think different stories can be told if the sequence of the images is re-arranged.

3/ Could you describe what sort of Photography you are doing or attempting to develop? Do you have obsessions whether visual or aesthetical? Is building a visual identity of yours something you strive for? Do you think that there is a contemporary pressure of looking different today?

My photographs are what I see. When I am walking around it is as if my eyes are seeing frames in the scenery that I then catch with my camera. I use a handheld rangefinder camera so all of my photographs are literally captured from my eye level. One obsession of mine is my love for traditional techniques. I always shoot on film and have during the past few years been doing my own printing in a colour darkroom. I prefer these classical ways of photography because they are more of a craft. I like working with my hands as I find that the physical handling of my art makes me understand it better in the aesthetical sense. The entire process from when I press the shutter release button to when I am holding the final print in my hands is tangible in every way.
I believe all photographers and other artists are looking for a visual "voice" or identity that can be recognised. In regards to the pressure of looking different in today's photography scene I think it is all about showing confidence. In the infinite jungle of images we are all being exposed to through media today I think many might feel overwhelmed. If you trust in what you do that will show through your work.

4/ Your Considering Corners really touch me for their simplicity and honesty. But more than that I related to the images for their beauty and suspension. I felt a similar approach to one of my earlier works titled Henorama where all the senses of the artist are alert whilst discovering a new environment. Could you explain that experience and do you think you would be able to photograph the same elsewhere?

As I have mentioned I make photographs of what I see. Often it is of strange or unusual situations, objects that don't seem to fit into their surroundings, things that are lost, misplaced or forgotten. A lot of the time there is a quite dark sense of humour in there too. The places in the photographs make little worlds of their own. They are places that most people overlook because they seemingly have no value. I don't wish to point out to viewers "look at this!", I am merely showing that these glimpses of landscapes exist. These are the things I see when I wander the streets, and I don't think there is much underlying suspension. There is little mystique, the places are what they seem to be.
While on an exchange term in New York I lived in an area in north Brooklyn called Greenpoint where I made a project pre-Considering Corners. I did the same thing there where I walked every street multiple times, always aimlessly and turning a corner whenever my intuition told me to.
This summer I will be moving back to Gothenburg where I aim to continue this particular trajectory of photography by again wandering the streets without a set plan and see where I end up, both geographically and artistically. Seeing as I know my hometown very well I am intrigued to see if I can look at it with the same fresh eyes as I did in New York and London.

5/ Could you explain your practice for this series?

Considering Corners was my final major project at my BA Photography course at Middlesex University. We had over six months to complete the project and I went through some different approaches and directions before ending up with a finished project.
In making Considering Corners I walked every single street around my area in Hackney up and down and on both sides of the road. Not only did I get a full experience of the layout and feel of the borough but I got to see all its nooks and crannies which is essentially what interests me in any given place.
When I am making a photography project, it is a process. I set out by taking photographs while walking the streets of a certain neighbourhood. I then go through the whole developing process until I have a couple of printed images to look at. I need to go through this entire procedure from time to time when I'm producing a project or I won't know where I am, I won't be able to get an overview. When I look at the prints I can decide how to proceed, and in which direction I want to take the project for it to end up in a well edited and cohesive series of photographs. Again and again I will lay out prints and try different edits and sequences.

6/ How would you relate the format, or equipment used, to your approach?

I am using a Mamiya 7 Rangefinder which creates 6x7 medium format negatives. As mentioned this camera enables me to photograph handheld which is my preferred method as I feel using a tripod slows me down, I would rather keep my camera on my shoulder and be able to snap whatever catches my eye as I see it, when I see it. Also, by using a tripod I mostly seem to physically drop my gaze down to a lower level, which is not how I perceive the world around me. To get more technical I really love this camera for the amazing sharpness it generates, the 80mm lens is my favourite because it is very close to how the human eye views its surroundings, the camera is light and quiet for its size and I not only have the privilege to own one but have been able to use this kind of equipment for over two years which I am convinced has affected the way I make photographs.

7/ Are you working on something new? Do you work on several projects simultaneously? How spread are your interests and how do they merge in your work?

I am currently working on a few different projects. One relates to Hackney specifically, especially the postcode area of E8 where I live focusing on the gentrification, the co-existence of new and old, and on its inhabitants.
The other projects all revolve around the urban landscape, its architecture and people. I am also excited to start a new project when I move to Gothenburg, shot in the same style as Considering Corners and Greenpoint. A series of images that I hope can be compared and contrasted to the two previous works and what they may say about these cities.

8/ Any last word or message you would like to share?

Photography is a process of learning through success and failure. Especially when using analogue photography there is no knowing where you are or will end up in your project until you have the prints in front of you. Shoot, try different angles and directions, both literally and figuratively speaking and you might find something you didn't know you were looking for.