Peter Marley | Paradox Pictures Photography

'Churches', by Sylvia Grace Borda

2012-03-13T05:38:00.007-07:00

Churches

Sylvia Grace Borda

20th January - 2nd March 2012

Belfast Exposed, Belfast

[taken from BelfastExposed.org]... Sylvia Grace Borda is interested in exploring the architectural legacy of Modernism in Northern Ireland and has made a photographic survey of its modernist churches. Borda spent 2 years journeying through Northern Ireland, seeking out and photographing its churches. The result is an extensive photographic typology, which forms a contemporary portrait of Northern Ireland, and its unchronicled Modernist past.

Modernist civic buildings in Northern Ireland have been characteristically imposing, adopting brutalist architectural strategies. Many of its modernist churches however have aspired to be ethereal and open. These designs reflected the Modernist 1960s idea that architecture had a potential, through spatial openness, to improve social and political lives. Modernist churches employed architectural designs that did not privilege one particular faith over another. It is almost impossible to examine the structural form of many churches and readily distinguish the associated faith.

Churches is an exhibition in 3 parts. At the front of the gallery is a display cabinet containing a series of ceramic objects loaned from antique shops and official Government collections in Northern Ireland. The traditional "souvenir plate" was popular as a token of remembrance, and was often associated with travel and the depiction of picturesque locales. The main gallery space hosts an installation of photo-printed, ceramic plates, entitled "Coming to the Table" and a video projection of over 100 unnamed modernist churches from across Northern Ireland.

http://www.sylviagraceborda.com/

http://belfastexposed.org/

2012 so far...

2012-03-06T12:34:00.012-08:00

Forget the Year of the Dragon, this has been the year of short films! So far I have worked on four. I shot Lady Grey (and founded FalseAlarm Media as a result); I worked as standby props in Ryan and Andy Toehill's most recent film, Eyeline; and, as you may have noticed from the barrage of recent posts, I have been taking stills on Boys From County Hell and Pennyinch.

[Crew photo from Eyeline, photo credit: Alasdair McBroom]

That's the film side of things. Back to photography. I have submitted '100Portraits in 100Days' to a few local galleries in an attempt to exhibit the work. Fingers crossed. I am also working on creating a project that focuses on Phytophthora ramorum, the 'rapid tree fungus' that is dramatically changing the landscapes of the U.K.

Naturally, I have been photographing throughout the first two months of the year. The final total of digital photographs taken last year was just over 10,000, which is not bad. I do blame working on Game of Thrones for almost six months for this, but working in the Props department in film is something I wish to continue with. And I was still taking photos, I just can't show most of them anywhere. However, I can show my handmade flail made from a Monkey Fist with splice handle (the life of props provides an unusual skill set):

However, this year has been fun so far and I aim to make the most of it. I turned 24 last month. I made a promise to make one self portrait every month throughout the year so I could track any changes that 'making the most of it' would have, the results are included below.

[Occupy Belfast Camp, Writer's Square Belfast, Jan 2012]

[Brussels, Belgium, Jan 2012]

[Road Sign, Ghent, Brussels, Jan 2012]

[Self portrait with black-eye, Jan 2012]

[P.ramorum affected area in Glenariffe Forest Park, Jan 2012]

[Hannah & I reflected, Soho, London, Feb 2012]

[Glare, London, Feb 2012]

[Self portrait against an elephant wall hanging, Feb 2012]

[Photo tabletop created using old analogue prints and contact sheets, Feb 2012]

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Pennyinch (2012) - Day 2

2012-03-06T03:45:00.008-08:00

Day Two in Pennyinch.

Directed by Lucy Caird and Darren Chesney

Written by Lucy Caird

Director of Photogrpahy: Ian Marrs

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Pennyinch (2012) - Day 1

2012-03-03T23:01:00.009-08:00

Another weekend. Another short film.

(Nigel O'Neill, as Jack Lawns, on the set of Pennyinch)

This weekend we are away from the misty mountain tops and sheltered away on farms, B&Bs, country lanes and, of course, the fictional village of Pennyinch.

Directed by Lucy Caird and Darren Chesney

Written by Lucy Caird

Director of Photogrpahy: Ian Marrs

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Boys From County Hell (2012) - Days 2 & 3

2012-02-27T17:31:00.010-08:00

*WARNING: Scenes of a gore contained below...

(Michael Lavery as Eugene Moffat, in Boys From County Hell)

Saturday and Sunday were both night shoots. As I was lending a hand with props I was up earlier on both evenings (putting up fences, towing light rigs, etc) - so the hours were long, but the misty mid-morning shoots were fantastic. A thick fog swept in and really set the tone for the second and third nights of vampire action in County Hell...

Boys From County Hell (2012)

Written and Directed by Chris Baugh.

Produced by Brendan Mullin.

Production stills from Days 2 & 3:

And behind scenes with the cast and crew...

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Boys From County Hell (2012) - Day 1

2012-02-25T07:14:00.012-08:00

For the last weekend in February I will be up on Black Mountain lending a helping hand with Boys From County Hell.

Boys From County Hell is an darkly comic short horror film about how small town life can sometimes literally suck the life out of you...

Written and Directed by Chris Baugh.

Produced by Brendan Mullin.

Production stills from Day 1:

Find out more about Boys From County Hell on Facebook!

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(P. ramorum) IV: Topographics

2012-02-22T08:52:00.003-08:00

With the research side of the P.ramorum project trundling along I need to find a photographic format that will suit the subject matter. When I was photographing the affected area in Glenariffe, in early January, I found it difficult to relay the impact of what I was seeing, and that is why I needed to do additional research.

Although it is hard to think about how the series will come together at this stage it is important to consider where this work would fit into the wider field of contemporary photography. My initial aim is to create a series of photographs in the affected areas, whilst also focusing on the surrounding conservational processes and subsequent implications.

One idea then would be to pick a particular mode of framing and create a catalogue of calculated images, showcasing the fungal infection in this repetitive fashion would highlight the subtle differences between the trees or scenarios. This style of framing and producing images harks back to the photographers involved in the famous the New Topographics exhibtion (1975), curated by William Jenkins. The photographers involved were Bernd and Hilla Becher, Joe Deal, Frank Gohlke, Robert Adams, Nicholas Nixon, John Schott, Lewis Baltz, Shephen Shore, and Henry Wessel Jr.

For a modern review and general insight into New Topographics I would suggest this article by The Guardian.

The photographers involved went on to greatly influence landscape photography throughout the USA and Europe with their particular style.

[more later!]

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(P. ramorum) III

2012-02-21T10:43:00.000-08:00

Here we are again, back on the trail of Phytophora ramorum. I have been burying my head in websites and sifting through the available information to formulate a proposal for my next project. Thus far I have discussed this project with other photographers and visual artists and their excitement and feedback has encouraged me to follow this through (thanks Sylvia!).

The most concise information guide can be viewed here: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/8352779/p-ramorum-disease.pdf

(Photo from www.forestry.gov.uk, demonstrating Phytophthora ramorum affecting Japanese larch trees)

So, an update: I have contacted the Forestry Commission and instigated the dialogue to learn more. I have made a list of the areas affected in Northern Ireland, I mean to start locally with my photography and document these woodlands first. There are in the excess of ten sites recorded at the end of last year, including Ballyboley, Bohill, Capanagh, Glenarm, Glenariffe, Tardree, and Woodburn. There are also many cases on private estates around the Antrim Plateau.

More soon!

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DSNT Label Launch - 4/2/12

2012-02-06T08:21:00.000-08:00

To celebrate the launch of DSNT's label there was a special show in the Speakeasy in the Queen's University Students' Union.

On the night the running order was:

Bas Mooy (Audio assault)
Mark Rogan (DSNT)
Cave DJz
Chris Hanna

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Opera Pitch...

2012-01-27T11:06:00.000-08:00

An afternoon organised by Spark Opera.

Two productions with only two days of preparation.

Held in The Harty Room, Queen's University School of Music.

"Science"

"Monsters in the Dark"

For more information on Spark Opera visit their website - http://www.sparkopera.co.uk/

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Occupy Belfast

2012-01-26T05:11:00.000-08:00

Words: Adlai McCook; Pictures: Peter Marley

“WE'LL have to get rid of that nonsense, put something angrier up there”, laments Kevin, one of the members of Belfast's branch of the Occupy movement. He's talking about a message, written on a chalk board after a visit by someone from Occupy Dublin, who paid them a visit a few weeks earlier. The message is vague and forgetful, the sort of thing that people have come to expect from the Occupy movement.

For those who don't know, at the tail end of last year, inspired by the original Occupy Wall Street taking control of Zuccotti Park in New York in protest against the wealth of the '1%' in comparison to everyone else. The movement spread across major cities, with tense stand-offs with the Metropolitan police in London. One of the most striking elements of the occupy movement was that it was not the usual crowd of fired-up leftists involved, but normal people, who were concerned about their futures.

So in October last year, an Occupy group sprang up in Writer's square in Belfast. In that time they've seen the clamp-down on occupy sites across America, and other part's of the world, as well almost hurricane strength winds. When asked if they stayed out all the time they explained that they took it shifts to make sure there is always somebody at the camp. One of the campers, 25 year-old Mark said, “I've been camping out for the passed 5 weeks straight now, but it can really take it's toll on you. You need to go home every once in while to recover.”

On the whole, the camp seems to run smoothly. They organise night-watches to protect the camp, they operate on a policy of freeganism, with food supplied by local take-outs and cafés, and in contrast to London, they get along with both the PSNI and the Cathedral Dean. Michael a protester in his late 50's said, “ we're causing him no hassle and he's causing us no hassle. Its a good relationship.”

Despite all this, the camp is not without it's problems. The idea behind Occupy was that they were in the face and in the way of the economic establishment, and that's what made them a force to be reckoned with. It's why things got so heated in London, and it's why the police in New York shut down Zuccotti park and refused to let the media near.

But Writer's Square isn't exactly in people's face.

www.twitter.com/OpOccupyBelfast

www.twitter.com/AdlaiM

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Lady Grey - complete!

2012-01-23T05:43:00.000-08:00

Lady Grey

Something Evil is Brewing

After a quick reshoot the filming has finished on Lady Grey! Lady Grey a new short film I have been working on with David Neill. This production, steeped in the Gothic horror tradition, is our first production in a longer series of related short films.

Featuring: Neal McWilliams and Sarah King; Director: David Neill; Director of Photography: Peter Marley; Editor: Peter Neill; Sound Design: Ade Mulgrew; First Assistant Director: Kieran Majury; Sound Recording: Sarah Ward.

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(P. ramorum) II

2012-01-19T03:26:00.000-08:00

A comparison; a reason...

I sifted through my archive to find one specific photograph so that I could make a point. The photo was taken in the Glenariffe Forest Park in September of 2008, the image is almost garishly green because of a recent shower. The rain water, caught in the trees and vegetation, dapples the light and makes the landscape literally sparkle. This photo was taken during one of my few trips home that year, and to me this was home.

And that is why walking the same path only two weeks past I was stunned to find that the avenue of trees no longer existed. The trees had become infected, were systemically felled and have been destroyed to prevent the spread of Phytophthora ramorum (P. ramorum).

More later, when I know more.

(P. ramorum)

2012-01-09T16:35:00.000-08:00

A little background to start...

In Europe, including the UK, P. ramorum has been found mainly on container-grown Rhododendron, Viburnum and Camellia plants in nurseries. It was first detected in the UK in 2002, when emergency measures were introduced. The initial measures included destruction of infected plants, a ban on imports of susceptible material from affected areas of the USA, and notification of movements of susceptible nursery stock. These measures were notified to the EU Standing Committee on Plant Health, which agreed EU-wide emergency measures in November 2002, based largely on the UK's action. Those measures are still in place.

Phytophthora ramorum was first identified in the mid-1990s as the cause of widespread devastation of wild oak trees in California and Oregon, USA (which earned it the name 'Sudden oak death').
Source: http://fera.defra.gov.uk/plants/plantHealth/pestsDiseases/phytophthora/pRamorum/

In 2010, P. ramorum came to the Glenariffe Forest Park in the Glens of Antrim. The removal of infected trees has had a serious impact on the landscape of the area.

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Up North...

2012-01-09T12:50:00.000-08:00

Ireland's most northerly point.

Malin Head, Co. Donegal.

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2011: I Remember That One Time...

2011-10-10T15:13:00.000-07:00

2011 has almost flashed passed but here are a few fragments that I have held onto. It may just function as babbling 'bricolage', but it was my year - and it has been good! Some of the images, if you are a regular, will be familiar (probably as part of Street Photography Now's challenge or my 100 Portraits project) but, for the most part, the images here will be new and unseen.

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New month, new film plans, new book!

2011-09-09T12:22:00.000-07:00

So, I've been off working as a Prop Dresser and have let this space fall to the wayside. Sad times. However, I aim to maintain this space and shall continue to upload when I can. Photography has continued, and the design of the '100 Portraits' is nearing completion so things are trundling away. But there are upsides...

More gear.

More project plans.

More connections.

More skills.

So, more soon!

-PM

July. Not this year...

2011-07-11T10:52:00.001-07:00

So, last July I was running a 24/7 photo challenge that end up as a strange set of documents that included two short film shoots, a break-up, moving house three times, an island trip, and some very important social events. This set of images can be found here.

Having just finished 100 consecutive days of portraits I am ready to retreat back into theory mode, and explore the realms of 'terminal identity' more so that I can tackle it via the lens. Also, I need to find a way of exhibiting the 100 Portraits in 100 Days project, and construct it into a book.

However, photography still continues. It continues in the galleries with Allan Sekula's show at Belfast Exposed. And it continues in my world too. Most recently I have been working on new landscapes in rural Ireland that investigate and document how changes in subsidy legislation are affecting farmers and their land. This is only a fledgeling idea, much like the changes in law, but I shall post images soon.

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Half the year is gone, but...

2011-06-30T16:08:00.001-07:00

An update as such, now that 2011 is half over:

1. The 100 Portraits project is complete and talks surrounding an exhibition are ongoing. More on this as it and when it occurs. Ideally this will be sooner rather than later.

2. The new half of the year means being able to pour more energy into the next project. This will stem from the writing on 'terminal identity'.

3. With more film work being produced in Northern Ireland the remainder of the year is looking economically brighter than the previous half. Roll on Game of Thrones season two and Good Vibrations [2012]!

4. The London Street Photography Festival starts today! Their website and timetable are full of interesting photographers, exhibitions, and workshops, so don't neglect it. Especially the astounding and only recently discovered work of Vivian Maier, shown as Vivian Maier: A Life Uncovered.

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2P- now online!

2011-06-24T15:27:00.000-07:00

Here we have it, Will Maloney's "2P". Follow the link to see the film!

Watch it now!

This was the short film that I was working on a few weeks back.

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Now on Facebook!

2011-06-22T08:09:00.001-07:00

So, I now have my own page on Facebook. I guess that means that a Twitter account is now only days away. But, with the 100 Portraits project coming into the final stages there is probably no better time to start making more posts, and drumming up some hype. So, get onto Facebook and 'like' Peter Marley Photography. It will be another way to keep up with all that will be going on!

87/100

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Terminal Identity, and Contemporary Portraiture [2]

2011-06-08T02:44:00.000-07:00

So, to delve a little deeper...

What is terminal identity?

The notion of a 'terminal identity' comes from science-fiction, contemporary cultural studies and post-modern theories that investigate how advanced electronic technologies are impacting upon the cultures of the developed. Theorists including Donna Haraway, Scott Bukatman, and Jean Baudrillard are integral to this area of study.

The 'terminal identity' I am curious about relates to what Bukatman calls the "armchair universe", where the rise of global communication networks has digitised popular ideas relating to social interaction, leisure, work, commerce, and government. From home, or their private terminal in a library or Internet cafe.

I will add more later. And bring the focus back to photography.

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Hannah Starkey Belfast Show

2011-06-04T09:47:00.000-07:00

Hannah Starkey

3rd June - 9th July

Ormeau Baths Gallery

Starkey's first solo show in Belfast, featuring a complete retrospective as well as four new photographs. An utterly fantastic showcase of one of the best photographers in the world.

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Music Beats Cancer 23/5/11

2011-05-26T02:12:00.001-07:00

An evening of music for Cancer Research UK, featuring: This Is Me Dead, The Burnt Reynolds, The Alice Kona Band.

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2p

2011-05-23T05:01:00.000-07:00

Production stills from "2p", a new short film by Will Maloney. Featuring Chis Patrick-Simpson and Mary-Frances Doherty.

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Walking my Beat II

2011-05-18T05:30:00.000-07:00

The challenge of photographing people consistently for one hundred days has not started to swamp me yet. In fact, I cannot see any reason why this project would fail since it involves talking to people, which I enjoy, and photography, which I love. Working with strangers on the streets is fantastic, there is an exchange of trust and authority that comes from making a portrait. The end result is a spontaneous collaboration of sorts.

In Belfast the responses have been very positive on the whole to both the project as a whole, and to me as a photographer. Whilst completing this body of work I cannot help but think back to the first time I was refused a portrait, refused so harshly that I found it hard to keep my camera out for the remainder of the day! We were in Harajuku, in Tokyo, and I spotted one of the funkiest, most crazily dressed people I have ever seen... No sooner had I raised my camera and the young woman had blocked her face and started screaming, "NO PHOTO! NO PHOTO!" The image below was taken moments before she spun on her heeled boot to confront me.

[Girl in Blue, Harajuku, 2008]

But, photography has helped me learn so much. I have found that I really enjoy approaching people, engaging with them to learn something of their true character before making a portrait. I have found that even the most intimidating looking people [such as 10/100] respond to my easygoing nature. I think always having my camera on display means that strangers can instantly understand, he is a photographer, and when I ask for a portrait the process is not encumbered by unpacking and preparing the camera. I really feel the camera should not stand in the way - it is a means of recording an interaction; a mechanism; a tool.

Aside from the 100 Portraits, I still continue to photograph the city. This is what I have found recently:

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Terminal Identity, and Contemporary Portraiture [1]

2011-05-17T12:37:00.000-07:00

Since my 100 Portraits project involves continued social interaction, I have had time to think on how we can communicate and interact using modern media and 'social networking'. With email, phone calls, texting, instant message services (such as MSN, BBM, iChat, Facebook Chat), Skype and so many other services we can connect with people around the world to talk, flirt, catch-up, share ideas and interests, exchange information, and creatively collaborate - all from the luxury of our bedrooms, houses, or cafes. We interact through the fibre-optic skeins of technology.

As of today, 25/5/2011, there are 669,730,880 Facebook members1, and the only site that sees more digital traffic is Google2. We are living more and more online. Aside from the social interaction aspects we can use the Internet to order food, buy new clothes and goods, learn from prerecorded lectures and podcasts, listen to music, stream television programmes and films, access pornography, find jobs, etc... everything we could want is only a few clicks away.

All of this is mentioned in E.M. Forester's When the Machine Stops (1909). Yes, in 1909 science-fiction literature was musing on how humanity could become more dependent on technology. In Forester's short story the people live their lives through the Machine, in much the same way as we use digital technology. And this is how each of us has developed ourterminal identity. More on this later.

Back to the 100 Portraits project and When the Machine Stops. In Forester's novella there is a means of communicating through the Machine which allows a user, sitting in their personal room, to talk to and see another person - using "the blue plate". This is not unlike Skype, or iChat, where we can talk to, and see, people from all corners of the globe.

Using Skype I was able to take portraits of a friend with neither of us leaving our bedrooms. When I attempt this again, I may use a camera rather than screen-grabbing, so that my action is recorded and the image quality is better; however, I really wanted to explore the notion of photographing someone without pressing the shutter-button.

(48/100, 100 Portraits in 100 Days, 2011)

Again, this is something I will come back to.

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Walking my Beat I

2011-05-15T09:22:00.001-07:00

Now that the 100 Portraits project has been going for quite some time I think it is about time for a roundup. A chance to introduce some of the fantastical characters I have been privileged enough to meet, or [if I had already met them] to include in the series.

Top right to bottom left: Beccy Henderson, Fergus, Rose Baker, Michael Savage

Beccy and I burnt a Pinter script for her portrait. I suppose it counts as art-therapy. Check out Beccy's mega-busy youtube page!

Fergus was the second person I feel like I bullied into a portrait [the first was 26/100]. I am not proud of this fact. However, the day I photographed Fergus was a rainy Sunday, it may even have been Easter Sunday, and the streets were empty. He was the ONLY person I found after walking for over an hour, and I could not let the project fail. I have backwards Irish politeness to thank for this one.

Rose Baker, an absolute gem. She has a blog and a radio slot [Queen's Radio at 8pm on Tuesdays]. Rose also photographed me when I was photographing her, I'll have to track this down.

Michael, photographed the night before our relay team entered the Belfast Marathon and placed 1164 of 2282. Our team name: SKY PANTHERS ARE GO!

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Travelling since 1997

2011-05-08T14:42:00.000-07:00

Today I met Lee Yuezhong. [http://leeyuezhong.blog.sohu.com]

Lee, originally from a town near Beijing, China, has been travelling the world since 1997. So far he cycled in the excess of 200,000 miles. He has visited the White House in America as well as the ruins of Machu Picchu in Peru, attended festivals in Papa New Guinea and cycled Buddhist pilgrimage paths through China and Tibet*. From the photos Lee showed me he has stopped on the equator three times, each on a different continent. He leaves Ireland for England tomorrow, and then onto mainland Europe – with a goal of visiting Iceland later this year [something we jokingly had in common!].

Lee will function as my 53rd portrait in my 100 Portraits project.

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*China/Tibet Buddhist pilgrimages: Tibetans ideally are expected to prostrate themselves 100,000 times a year, which works out to almost 300 times a day, every day of the year. Not only do they prostrate themselves around temples they also do it on roads, streets and sidewalks. Some pilgrims cover the entire 33-mile route around Mount Kailis or travel from their hometowns to Lhasa, repeatedly prostrating. The pilgrimage that Lee described was 1200 miles from start to finish. On each third step the pilgrim has to lie prostrate on the ground, and touch their hands to the foreheads (representing the mind), mouths (speech) and chest (body) each time, and that this can take 10 months to complete.

Busy, busy, busy...

2011-05-03T16:28:00.000-07:00

Note: Never complain about being too busy, even if it does mean a decline in blog entries. Being busy with work is much better than having no work, especially if it is work you enjoy.

Fret not, I have been photographing and taking mental notes. Stockpiling information for later.

I have been off working as a few things on Whole Lotta Sole, the new film by Terry George featuring Brendan Fraser [namely a trainee assistant director and as part of the props department]. Working on night shoots means sleeping during the day - this threatened the 100 Portraits project but did not cripple it.

Working has meant missing a few critical things: one, training for my length of the Belfast Marathon team realy; and two, the premiere of MUTE, a 30-minute film I shot last year. I really wanted to join the cast and crew to see this projected in the QFT, but I will have to wait on another screening. For more information on MUTE visit the Sexy Raygun website, or read an interview hosted on Culture NI with the director and producer.

Teaser 2: "Paige" from Sexy Raygun on Vimeo.

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A Huge Loss to Photojournalism...

2011-04-21T05:36:00.000-07:00

British-born and Oscar-nominated Tim Hetherington [1970-2011] and US-based Chris Hondros [1970-2011] were killed in Libya whilst reporting on the conflict in the country. This is such a loss to photojournalism, as both were fantastically talented individuals who lived on the front lines, pursuing the world's most critical events and stories.

Tim Hetherington [1970-2011]

Chris Hondos [1970-2011]

For more information, as well as a chance to see their work, visit their websites:

http://www.timhetherington.com/

http://www.chrishondros.com/

This is what Euronews had to say:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtgfRZZJ9QE&feature=player_embedded

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Go somewhere you haven't

2011-04-15T09:20:00.000-07:00

Another week, another challenge...

In response to the 28th week of the Street Photography Challenge, set by Paul Russell, I ventured in new directions throughout Belfast. The brief stated: "Go somewhere you haven't been before - a dog show, a polo match, a monster truck rally - and remember, the interesting things often happen at the fringes away from the main 'action'". Initially I look this more literally, like a few others undertaking the challenge, and deviated from my regular walking routes to find fresh scenes. Russell, posting later on Flickr, clarified that it was the events or occasions that should be attended - not just anywhere new.

My entry for this week was found at a fashion fair. I found a man who had had his fill with the event and was seeking refuge on a bench. When researching what to photograph this week I found that Belfast's next dog show is not on until the 28th, which I may go along to with this brief in mind. I'm sure it will be full of characters, some of whom I could coerce into taking part in the '100 Portraits' project.

Whilst exploring the city, before the brief was expanded, I did find some fantastic sights. I think I will return to those areas with the intention of looking for moments, in true Paul Graham style. The atmosphere is never different when you leave the well worn paths, and venture closer to Black Mountain where graffiti becomes very mixed [see above] and murals appear at every turn. From this walk through less populated areas I was able to find a fantastic subject to include in my 100 Portraits project - Sister Marie.

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Ongoing projects, and other things.

2011-04-11T08:18:00.000-07:00

Things are trundling along: the 100 Portraits project is almost a month old; the Street Photography Now challenge is half over; and I am still holding out for information on what my next step in life will be [off to Japan as a JET, further study or Irish island life on Rathlin].

Day 25 of 100: Betty, and her dog Bambi. Betty was a lovely and obliging subject to photograph. Her hands were dry, and her nails were long. She has lived in Belfast all her life, and walks the Lisburn road daily. Her dog, Bambi, had been abused as a pup and is now wary of men.

Week 27 of the SPN challenge:

"Bend the rules and play tricks with the mind; make documents of moments that have never existed." - Peter Funch

Again, I was not a huge fan of the week's challenge. However, I do enjoy weaving worlds together with reflections so it wasn't all bad. It allowed me to set up this scene in which the mannequin was voyeurising a couple. It was his 'gaze', which seems so severe, that forced me to frame it as such.

Outside of my photography I continue to keep busy. For example, Ireland will soon have it's first camera obscura and I am functioning as the online media facilitator, by maintaining the blog and digital archive. Construction is due to start soon, and that will mean plenty more updates. Until then I will be creating and uploading information sheets on the Camera Obscura, borders, surveillance, optics and more.

Visit: http://gulliverscamera.wordpress.com/

Also, I had to submit a portrait and bio for the website of Mute. For more information on the film, as well as my very stern Director of Photography portrait, please see the Mute film website.

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Week 26... fail.

2011-04-01T08:43:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe that I missed the upload deadline! Oh the shame of it.

"If you're not sure it's a picture, shoot it anyway" - Carolyn Drake

This is the twenty-sixth Instruction for the Street Photography Now Project, written to inspire fresh ways of looking at and documenting the world we all live in.

To be honest, I was not the biggest fan of this brief. Roll on next week!

-PM

100 Portraits in 100 Days... Update

2011-03-29T16:48:00.000-07:00

So, after two weeks, it is still on. Great stuff. Already there are some characters appearing, and I LOVE that fact.

Aside from the ongoing list of portraits that you can see in the tab entitled "100 Portraits in 100 Days" I think I will post some of the unused portraits here too. Not only will that flesh out some of the daily shoots, but naturally there will be some days when I photograph a good few people, and it would be unfortunate if they were permanently relocated into my ever-expanding archive. Considering that I do spend time talking to each person, especially the unknown strangers who take time to listen and participate, it would be nice if everyone gets a mention.

And so, I give you a few of the B-sides from the past week or so:

[From top left to bottom right: Dave, Debbie, Jennie, Michael]

Since the project started I have also located another bank of "100 Portraits" that is worth looking at in great detail. It was a showcase of 100 portraits from 100 photographers from Flakphoto.com, exhibited at FotoWeek DC during November 2010.

http://flakphoto.com/

100 Portraits — 100 Photographers: Selections from the FlakPhoto.com Archive from FlakPhoto.com on Vimeo.

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Darkest Era - Album Launch

2011-03-28T17:24:00.000-07:00

Darkest Era - Album Launch

The Limelight, 26/3/2011

Launching their debut album, The Last Caress of Light, Darkest Era drew in a record breaking crowd on a sunny Saturday to the Limelight, Belfast. Sublimely supported by Steel Tormentor, Sirocco, Sorrowfall, as well as venerable horde of fans, friends, and well wishers, the day was passed in good company. This was truly a launch to remember.

Sirocco

Sorrowfall

Darkest Era

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Chocolate Love Factory Single Launch

2011-03-24T12:22:00.000-07:00

Chocolate Love Factory - Single Launch

Spring & Airbrake, 23/3/2011

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Week 25

2011-03-24T09:57:00.000-07:00

"Talk to strangers, let them take you to places." - Mark Alor Powell

This is Ronnie. He showed me where he was working, and had no objection to be photographed.

This also functioned as my 7th portrait in the 100 Portraits in 100 Days Project.

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A Blast from the Past... Blasting!

2011-03-24T07:58:00.000-07:00

New Year's Eve 09/10, and other times.

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Follow the Money...

2011-03-16T18:52:00.000-07:00

Week 24 of the SPN project.

"Follow the money" - Stephen McLaren

After following one man (seen above) for ten minutes or so, he doubled back on me. His facial expression says that he was annoyed that he was the subject of my gaze, and (I think) his clutching hand gesture belies the nervousness/uncomfortableness. I may have taken the brief more literally than was intended but it provided interesting food for thought on a fantastically bright day.

I spent most of my time in the financial areas of Belfast, which provided a wonderful playground for scenes littered with busy people too wrapped up in other matters. Photographing at lunch also in my favour because it forced more people into the public spaces where I was able to 'follow' and frame them.

My B-sides for this week include:

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March/April... Life Update!

2011-03-08T15:30:00.000-08:00

Again, I'm typing up these updates to keep myself right. The formality of the Street Photography Now weekly challenges, combined with the monotony of cinema work, has given my weeks a sense of structure (incidentally both of those commence on Fridays, strange eh?). Outside of those parameters life is very much sitting on hold until I find out if I will be sent to Japan or not, as part of the 2011 JET programme - but this will not be until early April. So, all I can do is stay busy and keep attending my Japanese classes!

Shelf Sample 6/3/11

What else has been going on? I live in the cinema if and when I can, or I continue my research work on the camera obscura (more on this later!). Sadly, my Flickr page has been taken over with SPN posts but I do still continue to photograph and live outside of the weekly briefs. Of course I do! Well, this is some of it:

Print Swapping - At long last it has started... Rakel (see her photography here!) sent me a print in the post, and it is beautiful! I intend to have a return print sent off as soon as possible - as soon as I choose one. This is something I would love to do more of! The fact that we can exchange photographs, thoughts, opinions and ideas via the Internet (and namely Flickr) is great, but receiving physical copies of images is beyond compare. No longer is the photograph a collection of high definition pixels on a screen but a tenderly hand-printed, and carefully sealed present.

Rakel Erna Skarphéðinsdóttir - Untitled

Darkest Era - At long last Darkest Era have launched their first album, entitled The Last Caress of Light. I have already posted about how it has been a such a great journey to photograph this band as we all developed and progressed as artists. I think that is why seeing my photos in the inlay (see below) and booklet struck such a chord, this was a collective culmination of our progress in some way. Also, the album is sublime (to echo all of the reviews) so please go buy a copy! ;]

Darkest Era - The Last Caress of Light

All Ears: Another project that I am lending a somewhat creative/helping hand to is a music documentary, All Ears (dir. Gus Sutherland, 2011). I am helping out by designing the credits and inter-titles, which is really fun as I have been looking for an excuse to relearn aspects of Final Cut Pro. Also, it provides time to hang out with Gus and learn about a bustling realm of music that I had only the faintest inkling about. All Ears: A Glimpse into the Los Angeles Beat Community will be screened (or premiered, if you prefer) at the Beat Generation Festival held in the QFT, on Sunday 20th March at 4pm. See here!

Ongoing: I think I will start a 100 Portraits in 100 Days challenge soon, I miss being involved and interacting with people. The portraiture of Albrecht Tübke and Alec Soth has played a major role in the formation of this novel notion. I am aiming for something more than passing snapshots and mugshots. Through the location, the clothes, or the other elements of the portrait I want to be able to tell something of that person to an audience or viewer, I suppose that is where the documentary aspect of 'documentary portraiture' comes in. 100 Days should be enough, I hope.

Enough for now,

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March/April... Film Update!

2011-03-08T03:58:00.000-08:00

So, with March whisking the year away I think a small update is in order. Mostly so I have my affairs in order, but also because there is so much going on this month! With the Belfast Film Festival starting at the end of the month (more details found here!) I would like to flag up the two short films I was involved with. The screenings of YUKI and Hold Your Breath will be fantastic as they will be screened to a paying audience for the first time. Also, it will be a great chance for the cast and crew to see all of their hard work finally get out there.

The two films are as follows:

YUKI (dir. Jonathan Beer, 2010)

Screening: 9th April, QFT, 10am

For additional information on Yuki (including other film stills, production photographs, and reams of other exciting material) please visit the website: http://www.yukifilm.com/

Hold Your Breath (dir. Robin Smyth, 2010)

Screening: 9th April, QFT, 4-6pm

In fact, both films were produced via Lamb Films. Keep up to date with what they are up to on: http://www.facebook.com/lambfilms or http://www.twitter.com/lambfilms

See you there!

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Annapurna CD Lauch

2011-03-04T04:57:00.000-08:00

Annapurna CD Lauch - Auntie Annie's, Belfast, 3/3/11

A fantastic night of music provided by Annapurna, with phenomenal support from Comply or Die. [More words coming soon]

Annapurna

http://annapurna.bandcamp.com/

Comply or Die

http://complyordie.bandcamp.com/

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Party People: Tongue on the Roof

2011-03-03T07:03:00.000-08:00

"Tongue on the Roof" - Psytrance in the Front Page Bar, Belfast, 2010.

[more to follow]

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An hour can seem like a long time...

2011-03-03T06:03:00.000-08:00

Week 22 of the Street Photography Now challenge:

"Pick a spot, stay there for an hour and see what unfolds" - Polly Braden

This was a tough challenge for all the wrong reasons. The problems were basic: firstly, finding a full hour to sit and soak up the world (when did life get so busy?); secondly, finding a space in Belfast where something could unfold; and lastly, maintaining some pretence of subterfuge or inconspicuousness... Oh, and a bag of patience! I may reattempt this when my weeks are less busy as I liked the challenges surrounding it, but would prefer to photograph in a new town or city where exploring recreation and work is exciting.

I attempted this twice during the week, once in the street when the sun was setting and again in the park. Botanic Gardens worked better for letting scenes of relaxation and interaction unfold, but I would have preferred to have gotten over to Ormeau Park, where there is more space and less familiar faces.

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"Seeing and Being"... in Cavan

2011-03-01T04:08:00.000-08:00

Cavan, what a magical place. In the end only three of us ventured through 'orchard country' and beyond, but three was an ample amount for the Belfast contingent.

We departed Belfast at 9am to attend an artist talk with Michael Fortune, check his
website
for a look at his work. Working with community groups, his family, animals, schools and producing books, DVDs, as well as online archives for each project Michael sets a great standard for working practice.

After spending our lunch soaking up the sites of Cavan town (namely the Old Abby Ruins) we were taken a few miles outside of Cavan town to the Bluewall Gallery. I don't think there are many galleries that can boast being lakeside, or situated in a geo-park but those are just extra reasons to visit the space. Information on the gallery and exhibition can be found here!

Seeing and Being in the Landscape

Saturday 26th of February - Saturday 26th of March

Bluewall Gallery, Cavan

"Seeing and Being in the Landscape is an exhibition bringing together fourteen artists with a concern for the local environment, as well as the post industrial landscapes between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, and how these can be visualised and defined. "

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Face Nom

2011-02-24T06:49:00.000-08:00

Street Photography Now Challenge - Week 21

"Be aware of the way the camera compresses a three dimensional world into a two dimensional plane and use that to your advantage" - Nick Turpin

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"Slow down..."

2011-02-17T16:47:00.000-08:00

"Slow down, the next picture may be very quiet and close." - Bruno Quinquet

Businessman with a parking ticket, Belfast, 2011 (SPN Challenge 20)

Week 20 was a tough one. Bruno Quinquet's statement was a more open brief than most of the recent posts in the Street Photography Challenge. Plenty of of the early posts in the Instruction No.20 Flickr pool, and discussion boards, were aiming on a 'good' street photo because of the openness of the brief (or so I gather from reading the threads), and the results have been good.

Bruno Quinquet, Salaryman Project, 2009

I first came across Quinquet's work at this time last year when his series on Japanese salarymen, Obsession of a salaryman otaku, was published in the 1000words Photography Magazine (Spring 2010). I was instantly hooked. Here was a photographer who was exploring a breed of working man bound by cultural constraints, constraints imposed by a distinctly Japanese view of the working world. Quinquet's poetic portraits documented the salarymen but also embodied, through his choice of composition and colour, the fleeting and transient beauty that is magnificently celebrated within Japanese visual culture.

Bruno Quinquet, Salaryman Project, 2009

In his artist statement for the series Quinquet wrote: "On one hand, it explores the identity of the average Japanese male office worker, called salaryman, letting mystery and poetry blossom in the supposedly boring corporate world. On the other hand, by concealing the subjects’ identities, the project tries to adapt in a creative way to the increasing constraints of portraits rights on candid street photography."

Woman waiting on a bus, Belfast, 2011

So, with the Salaryman Project in mind, I began shooting this weeks brief with the intentions of ferreting out workers seeking quiet and peaceful moments during their working days. Since the salaryman phenomenon does not exist in Northern Ireland my challenge was harder, but not impossible. I also wanted to avoid the repetition of a previous SPN challenge that urged the photographers to find people who were lost in thought amidst the new urban environment. The woman above was photographed through a bus shelter window, hence the strange lightened area where light has been reflected, and I loved how her cap covered just enough of her face to conceal her identity.

My entered image for this week, found beneath the brief at the top of this post, had some of the mystery of Quinquet's salarymen with the man's face being obscured by shadow. The layers within the portrait come from the green mesh fence, which protects the car park, and the glistening reflections upon the car. The colour in the image comes across more as a barrage of turgid tones than the simple palettes found in the Salaryman Project; however, the red brick is a stalwart in Belfast, and the blue sky reflecting on the car only highlights the fresh weather we are experiencing at this time of year. The simple action of searching for and reading a parking ticket is probably something he does every single day... Again, this leaves me celebrating the transience of things. Mono no aware.

Another week bested... Only 32 to go!

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Forgotten Roll from 2010

2011-02-15T02:57:00.000-08:00

It has taken too long to get around to scanning this roll of film (Kodak 400vc), which was shot in 2010 over a period of months. The reasons behind the photos range from photo-adventure walks to recording the length of my 'dissertation' beard.

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New Urban Disconnect

2011-02-10T04:14:00.000-08:00

"Expose the banalities of the new urban landscape" - George Georgiou

This is the nineteenth Instruction for the Street Photography Now Project, written to inspire fresh ways of looking at and documenting the world we all live in.

This challenge was later expanded on the Flickr group thread by George Georgiou:

"Hello all, this is George Georgiou. The quote is not quite how I put it, I wouldn't have used the word Banal. What I am interested in is what the relationship is between a modern planned urban/suburban space and the individual. In other words, planned public space where people can feel comfortable or familiar with but allows people to move through this space without contact, we almost become invisible to each other. Often these are made to a blueprint, airports, housing estates, bus stations, shopping malls etc. If you watch people in these spaces you notice a disconnect, people in their own worlds/minds. It is this disconnect from what is around you that I find interesting. A simple example is how people talk on the mobile, as if they are at home, in private. Eggleston and Shore are good examples of this. What they look at is very 'commonplace'. The urban environment and peoples interaction with it. I hope that helps. George"

I feel that the above image ties in closer to what George said on the forum. The woman is completely lost in thought whilst typing a text. Her expression is fixed and stern, her walk was brisk. The other face in the image adds to the 'disconnection', the woman is oblivious to the man looking at her (and he is oblivious to me).

My 'B-side' this week focused on the banal. I always find that a stringent deadpan approach to photographing is ideal for capturing 'banality'. I love the word banal, and banality is verbalised best in Chris Marker's Sans Soleil (1983)... See the scene here!

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Four Years

2011-02-04T04:36:00.001-08:00

Four years ago our Nana passed away. It really doesn't feel like four years has passed since then. It got me thinking though... I was starting to photograph on a daily basis when it happened and, in retrospect, it was another way of dealing with everything that was going on.

So, below I have posted the second poem I wrote after Nana's death (the first was much more vengeful and not really fitting to be read a service), which was read by Steven Burns at the funeral. I have also added the last photograph of our granny to be taken (seen above), and a few images I produced on the morning of the funeral. It was the also the first and last time I photographed my father (see below).

Life’s Haste (2007)

We are not the sea or the silver stars of the sky.

We are not the hills or mighty moon… Why?

‘Cause we are Mortal Men: fated to die.

A haunting thought to most, but I ask you

To look again at Mortal Men: to review

our span on Earth. Yes, it’s short and fast.

Ever racing and chasing; spinning present to past.

The first flake of virginal snow cannot linger,

If it did- no playing or hooraying would ensue.

The sun cannot be tardy in reaching the summit,

If it did- darkness and gloom would reign supreme.

Yet we remember: the golden dawn and powdery puff

For their befuddling beauty is ample enough.

A human life is akin to all of these

Like light glinting on the still seas

surface. There and gone. Like Cortez’s gold

We should hold them in our mind. Not

so we are eternally saddened at the passing-

That we remember, with vigor, their Being.

So crystallize those treasures and avoid Time’s

Ravages and traps! Use pictures and rhymes,

Stories and thoughts- to keep that person

Place or view perpetually fresh and anew.

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I hardly slept the night before the funeral. Going for a walk whilst the sun was coming up seemed like the best way to gather my thoughts and emotions before meeting the family or dealing with events of the day. Now I wish I had photographed the full day so I had more portraits and images but, and I think this was Robert Capa who said it, to photograph a funeral you cannot be part of the procession.

'Nana' Margaret McMullan - May you rest in peace.

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Bus Bricolage

2011-02-04T02:07:00.000-08:00

The SPN Challenge for Week 18 stated: "Look for a window. Through a window, out a window or at the reflections on a window" - Arif Asci.

Phew, I made it this week! With the possibility of playing with reflections and refractions how could I really miss it? Natural superimposition? Yes please! Any excuse to use the word bricolage in a title...

Ok, so it was hard not to repeat one of my earlier entries this week by placing myself in the midst of the reflections. Of course, there are times when those images must be taken [see below].

This week I saw the challenge as a great way to explore the experimental and Modernist route. Looking in reflections and through glass allows several perspectives to overlap, or superimpose - to borrow a filmic term. Artists such as Andy Warhol and Stan Brakhage experimented with this process of natural collage to achieve fantastic results.

In this image there are seemingly an infinite amount of worlds converging: the bus, the people in the bus, the world seen through the bus (trees, houses), the numbers reflected off of a shop window behind me, iron mesh from the shop front, etc. The end result is a chaotic barrage of visual, and textual, information; yet, the people in the photo remain perfectly placid and only the viewer is subject to this amalgamated perspective.

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Waiting on the rain... in Ireland!

2011-01-25T09:32:00.000-08:00

So, I missed another week of the Street Photography Now challenge - week 16. Last week Martin Parr set the challenge, "wait for the rain, it makes shooting in the street easier and more interesting". So, this was quite a funny one to receive whilst in Ireland, which is notorious for rain.

With no rain to work with I just burrowed on with other work - relating to research on Modernist Churches and camera obscuras - until Thursday. On the last day I made a point of finding something to work with that would fit the brief! Ironically enough attending a photography talk in Belfast Exposed led to me not getting home in time to upload the photo onto Flickr before the midnight deadline. Oh well, there are still plenty of weeks to come...

Upon swooning...

2011-01-17T01:28:00.000-08:00

swoon |swoōn|verb [ intrans. ]- be emotionally affected by someone or something that one admires

I love little notes that will never be sent, seen, used or abused. Above all I love notes that are silly - and that should never be shown to beautiful people who deliver you tea. ;)

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Artsinthehouse in 2011...

2011-01-16T08:30:00.000-08:00

The first Artsinthehouse event of 2011 took place on Saturday the 15th of January. This is my record of how it happened... I will have to photograph the finished paintings and pages in the near future to properly document how it ended.

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Forgotten Photos form 2010

2011-01-13T07:16:00.000-08:00

With the New Year steaming ahead I decided to flashback to 2010 to find some forgotten, or overlooked, images that were hidden on hard drives and contact sheets. The first half of the year was mostly consumed with photographing prosthetic limbs and napes so the majority of unseen material came from the latter half of the year. So, out of some 22,000+ files, here are a few choice images that brought back some memories:

7/4/2010 Antiracism Pie

25/4/2010 Choose Pie

1/10/2010 - CCTV in Enniskillen

3/10/2010 - Sunday at the Ponds

26/10/2010 - Gerard, Behind Castle Court shopping centre, Belfast

Week 15 - Aimless

2011-01-12T13:31:00.000-08:00

Upon receiving the fifteenth brief from The Photographer's Gallery for the Street Photography Now challenge I was elated! "Wander aimlessly most of the time", set by Melanie Einzig. Great, we were given carte blanche for a week. As the days progressed and the entries started appearing on Flickr I had to sit and rethink the challenge. Primarily other photographers were focusing on pedestrians walking, normally, into or out of some wittily composed scenario.

This was not enough for me. Wandering aimlessly can be a meditative state, a vibrant pseudo-somnambulistic experience where you are led by instinct or impulse. Maybe I have spent too long musing on the Japanese philosophy of 'mono no aware', which celebrates the transience of things. Thus, photographing whilst aimlessly walking meant I was capturing fragments of a personal experience and producing a visual record of how I was led, and where I wandered.

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Aftermath...

2011-01-06T07:17:00.000-08:00

Week 14: "Show us the aftermath." - Maciej Dakowicz

With limit time this week my photo opportunities were limited to what I could find whilst shopping or walking to and from work. Luckily my work is firmly based on the fleeting moments so I found something quite fitting for this week's brief.

This 'aftermath' scene is the result of a few things: one, bad parking by the guilty owner of the silver car; two, the placement of the car beside the freshly painted taxi mural; and finally, the 'Keep Right' sign pointing at the traffic warden who is upholding his position and booking the silver car.

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