I've never been to an artist talk or for that fact given one and to be honest I was surprised by how much I got out of last night’s Artist Talk at Contact the exhibition. It was enlightening to hear from the people I'd worked with over these last few months talk more about their work more, to learn about the process, what they did, what went wrong or right. An understanding of artwork makes the work mean so much more.
A lot of people don't understand, or have to opportunity to learn about art, modern and historical. They see a picture, but there is so much more context, historically and personally, background, technique that gives the work a whole different perspective.
I am lucky enough to have had an amazing tour of the new Art Gallery Walsall by curator Jo Digger. Jo's understanding of the permanent collection there is incredibly enlightening; with great enthusiasm she weaves stories about the meanings behind the work, the people who created them and their relationships with each other. She also knows when something has no meaning and is happy to admit when she has no clue 'why they did that'.
It’s often easier to dismiss something because we don't understand it, but I would encourage you next time to see what extra you can learn about a piece of work, as an understanding of one work maybe prove more fulfilling than blankly looking at many.
Wow! What an amazing, crazy, mad, groovy, stressful, tense and exhilarating few weeks its been!
Contact is the culmination of a lot of hard by a very dedicated group of people that I'm very proud to be involved with. Although some of us are professional photographers, many aren't. We all have very busy day jobs, a few of us run our own businesses, many of us have very small children and therefore we generally don't have a lot of free time.
However through a huge amount of effort, late nights and unpaid days off work - we have created not just an exhibition, but everything that surrounds it and more. Web design, logo design, promotions, PR, invitations, private views, catering, artist nights, hanging the exhibition, sign-age and organising everything so it comes together.
What this means is an amazing exhibition! No-one is looking for thanks or recognition. It's a group effort, a collective force of everyone involved. Some things have gone wrong and some things changed in the future, but this is a first for many of the group and an incredible achievement for everyone involved over such a short space of time.
Thanks for listening.
We're terribly proud of the exhibition. We're really enjoying meeting the people who are coming to see it and make contact with us. We love hearing feedback, whether it be from some of our photographer heroes like Dr Vanley Burke or from passers by.
When you come to the exhibition it's us (photographers and members of either The Photography Collective or Birmingham Photospace) who sit in the gallery to talk to you. We know the work, we love the work, and we're delighted to talk about it.
One of our invigilators has confessed she gets so excited when each new batch of people come in the gallery she wants to hug them. We don't let her in the gallery very often.
We're very much hoping you'll come along to join us for a glass of wine and some cake on Thursday evening. The artists are looking forward to talking about their work, and the rest of us are looking forward to celebrating a new body of work created from concept to exhibition within 3 months.
Artists' Talk - Thursday 9th September, 6.30pm. Rhubarb East Gallery, Heath Mill Lane, Digbeth.
It's tomorrow! The exhibition opens tomorrow!
It's amazing to think that a meeting in a pub just 3 short months ago could lead to this. There is a new body of work created. There is a show.
There have been press releases, and invites and photographers scratching their heads to think how to sum up their work in a few short paragraphs. There has been debate over cupcakes and discussion on inspirations, on photographic practice and professional development. There has been constant support and encouragement from our (now) friends at Rhubarb-Rhubarb.
What's important now is you, our audience. This exhibition is about us reaching out to you and sharing our ideas about Contact. We hope you'll engage with us on the debate - do come along and see us from 11am tomorrow. The people behind the desk are us - artists and writers and the people who ordered the cupcakes. We made this - when you visit - make sure you tell us what you think. We're so looking forward to seeing you.
The exhibition runs 3rd-18th September 11am-5.30pm at Rhubarb East, Heath Mill Lane, Digbeth.
Friend: I love taking photographs and the places I've been (I've travelled to lots of beautiful places whilst working on a cruise ship as a photographer 2 years ago - image below), people I've met and experiences I've captured truely wouldn't have happened if I wasn't a photographer. Or maybe that's a lie and they would've happened anyway through horse riding or something.
Foe: I'm feeling a little lost, anxious and demotivated with being a photographer/artist (on a another point I find calling myself an artist a bit pretentious and i find it v.v.funny - not sure why) recently. Having lots of ideas and knowing I'm capable, yet I'm continuously stumbling and doubting myself over big projects and getting them underway. Also this summer has been pretty quite work wise so that's been a different and challenging experience too.
So why is photography a foe? Well I think sometimes I stress myself out about it so much it's ridiculous. I wonder where I'm going with it, who's accessing my work (something I've really started to question recently - are white walls the best way?) and how to sustain it financially.
A lot of my work is documentary art based projects, not commissioned as such but stories I find myself and discover, explore and showcase, my Women's Football work is an example, below. Sometimes it can get pretty lonely working on all these projects alone and that's why it's really nice being part of The Photography Collective so that I have a place to share ideas (be it online or in person) and to have a good supportive network to keep me bright and chirpy!!
So maybe it's not photography that I should question but my own mental state (not in a psycho way mind you!) and being more positive and not letting the negatives get to me as much. I think if I remember how blessed I am to be doing what I am, and having already had a few exhibitions, publications and awards, then I really am the lucky one. Life is what you make it and all that after all!
So, after a few weeks of plotting we're now at the point where our images are off with labs around the world (seriously!) for production, our frames are selected and we've even got some budget (a tiny budget!) for refreshments for our Artists Talk.
We have flyers, which we're busy distributing around town, and we've sent out invites to people we respect and admire. And we've started inviting people (which is maybe how you found the site).
It's an exciting time for us - none of us have seen the exhibition in its' final form and we're all excited about it. Our artists are very much looking forward to you seeing and enjoying the work - they'll get the chance to discuss it with you during the Artists Talk on Thursday 9th September at 6.30pm. See you there!
I'm not very good at titles of stuff (blogs included) so expect a few random ones for these blogs, like Turbo (I just saw the word on a website!).
I'm really excited by this website and it's full launch, also I've just seen the work from most of the photographers exhibiting for the first time (one image of each in the Exhibiting Artist bit at the top), and it looks so impressive and diverse. Really looking forward to the Private View and seeing it all hanging from the walls now, very proud to be part of such a talented group too.
I'm planning to do a spot of filming at the PV too with a contact theme. So far, the idea in my head is to get the two groups involved with the exhibition (The Photography Collective and Birmingham Photospace) to act out something to do with contact and then cut all this together to make it look very random but fun!
Well, I'm hoping it will be fun to do and watch, but you can be the judge of that. I'm also planning a small photo montage of the night, maybe giving a few different cameras to the The Photography Collective and then making something out of it.
Whilst I was doing workshops on residency with Fierce, Arzhang Pezhman, a writer, did this performance 'Squib Boy' and without any planning (it was very spontaneous - not his performance but the documenting of it) I recorded it on my laptop webcam, my small digital camera and took photographs. I loved editing it and mashing it up, turning it inside out and upside down (watch it here) and so I was thinking of doing something similar for the Contact PV.
Do you have anything you'd like to see in the video? Any ideas? Maybe something to do with turbo!? Actually I take that back, I can see suggestions of high speed car chases wanting to be filmed, and theres no way i'm risking life and limb for that haha!
So, the contact exhibition is in full swing (well the planning of it is, anyway) and the exhibition itself is in about a month's time.
Although I'm not one of the exhibiting artists for Contact, our new exhibition this whole process has been fantastic. The Photography Collective is a vibrant group and it's had a very positive effect on me personally. Why, you ask? Well the opportunity to work together, collaborating and also sharing work and working practices has been great. Also the commitment and enthusiasm to come together, when most of us are working on different projects or in full time jobs, has been a real plus and a pleasant surprise too.
Something which I'm exploring right now is how to create a sustainable working practice, and the pooling of skills, experience and knowledge in this group has been brilliant. I've learnt a lot already in regards to sponsorship (sorting out letters, approaching big companies) and curating a show as a group, and we've only been up and running since April (I think!).
I'm expecting more ambitious exhibitions and collaborations in the future. But I'm also looking forward to getting to know everyone a lot better too. I think the opportunity to create this exhibition came so quickly that we've gone headlong into that before we really got to know each other well, so I'm looking forward to a Diet Coke and general chit chat informally with everyone.
Of course if anyone is reading my inane mind's blatherings you too can join me (and the rest of The Photography Collective and Birmingham Photospace) for a drink or two! No date has been set yet but maybe I can make it into a secret location type thing and send a viral text thing (I've seen those happen, but not done it myself yet). Then it can become a rave or something in a warehouse in Digbeth! that would be muchos fun, will let you now when that happens (via this secret text thing of course....haha!).
I hope others of the group will jump in behind me, or this will seem like a very conceited blog entry! I though I should start to introduce us, so you can get to hear a bit about the team behind the exhibtion.
I'm Liz, and I am a very proud member of Birmingham Photospace, one of the groups behind the exhibition. People are always surprised to hear that I'm not a photographer, as I spend so much of my free time working on projects with photographers. Whilst I do own a few cameras (and even take the occasional photo) my Flickr stream is full of photos taken on my iPhone. Some people call that 'informal social documentary' but I just use photos to keep in touch with friends and family on one or other of my assorted blogs. Or Facebook. Or Twitter. Or Tumblr.
Yes, I'm one of those irritating social media folks generating mindless content for the internet. Not by profession, though. As a job I am a professional bossy-boots.
Those skills (social media and bossy-boots) are what I bring to the group and Contact exhibition. I help out with planning and organising things. I help out with the writing side (press releases and blogging). I try and get people to go to the pub.
If you'd like to write about Contact on your blog, or in your publication do get in touch with me. We wrote a press release! We have publicity images (good ones!). Our photographers are witty and charming and can be interviewed! See our 'Get In Touch' page to make contact...
To explain how this exhibition came about we have to tell the story of Rhonda Wilson at Rhubarb-Rhubarb. Although she won't thank me for expressing it in these terms, Rhonda is sort of the fairy godmother of photographer in the West Midlands and beyond. Her energy, passion and determination have created an organisation that develops and supports photographers as well as brings in the best international critics to review work in Birmingham.
She introduced Birmingham Photospace and The Photographers Collective. Some of us had met each other previously (some lovely members of the Photographers Collective had already collaborated on Photospace projects !) but we hadn't worked together on a major project before.
By offering her gallery and encouragement to two groups without a track record of joint delivery Rhonda has made a huge investment on us. After all, if we don't do a good job, it may reflect back on her organisation.
Rhonda makes you believe you can do anything. A new show with new work with 3 months lead time? Press and publicity? Artists' Talks? Private Views? Not a problem! Not if you have the right backing.
Rhonda Wilson and Rhubarb-Rhubarb are absolutely the right backing for us - and we're incredibly grateful.
September 10, 2010
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