Waiting Room

Our final selection of images for our group project - Waiting Room.

Stefan and Andy at the AGIT DISCO book launch

Stefan and Andy at the AGIT DISCO book launch, a photo by mdx on Flickr.

AGIT DISCO

www.agitdisco.com/
www.metamute.org/en/shop/agit_disco

Agit Disco collects the playlists of its 23 writers to tell the story of how music has politically influenced and inspired them. The book provides a multi-genre survey of political musics, from a wide range of viewpoints, that goes beyond protest songs into the darker hinterlands of musical meaning. Each playlist is annotated and illustrated. The collection grew organically with an exchange of homemade CDs and images. These images, with their DIY graphics, are used to give the playlists a visual materiality.

Almost everyone makes selections of music to play to themselves and friends.Agit Disco intends to show the importance of this creative activity and its place in our formation as political beings. This activity is at odds with to the usual process of selection by the mainstream media - in which the most potent musical agents of change are, whenever possible, erased from the public airwaves.

Agit Disco Selectors: Sian Addicott, Louise Carolin, Peter Conlin, Mel Croucher, Martin Dixon, John Eden, Sarah Falloon, Simon Ford, Peter Haining, Stewart Home, Tom Jennings, DJ Krautpleaser, Roger McKinley, Micheline Mason, Tracey Moberly, Luca Paci, Room 13 – Lochyside Scotland, Howard Slater, Johnny Spencer, Stefan Szczelkun, Andy T, Neil Transpontine, Tom Vague

Conceived & compiled by Stefan Szczelkun www.flickr.com/photos/stefan-szczelkun/ , edited by Anthony Iles

www.agitdisco.com/
www.metamute.org/en/shop/agit_disco

The music's here: www.youtube.com/user/AgitDisco?feature=mhee#g/p

pavement life 1

pavement life 1, a photo by mdx on Flickr.

sometimes the best photograph is just on the way out of the house first thing

Aubade Magazine - Issue 7

Got one of my photographs published in the wonderful Aubade Magazine.
Aubade Magazine - Issue 7, a photo by Christopher C Turner on Flickr.

visitors

Hazwani and Loretta came to visit the allotments to get some advice on setting up a food growing project at their college. In return I took their photograph.

The last shoot (mine)

Scans of medium format transparencies for the group project narrative based constructed photography project. We were each responsible for one shot. Scanning the transparencies produces huge files with amazing detail. Once we've agreed on which one of these shots, it will need retouching in photoshop for dust and hairs from the scan - and then we can see how it sits with the other 3 shots.

At first I thought this was the one - I like the detail of the hands - Laura's moody look - but maybe it's all too much - too obvious.

Maybe this works better - pulling you into the image first and then back out to Marion

It's the sort of shot that could work really well - but not this time - it's too theatrical

We had to go and get the security guard to release the shutter - the only thing actually in focus is Valerie's sleeve.

goodies vs baddies

goodies vs baddies a video by mdx on Flickr.

On strike today and too lazy to go on the march - H and me set up"home school" - now exhausted - finished off with his first animation - probably a postmodern comment on the state of the nation.

the cleaner's cart

the first photo I ever posted on flickr

Hospital School - A Year in the Life

I spent most of Saturday and the best part of Sunday night putting this video together for my Crowdfunder pitch http://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/investment/hospital-school-a-year-in-the-life-515

Jeff Wall in conversation with David Campany

Went to see Jeff Wall in conversation with David Campany at the new Saint Martins site at Kings Cross.

starting points in everyday life 

noticing something from everyday life and then not photographing it

just experiencing it and then waiting - a gap - a poetic gap

the missed event creating a wake of energy to create something new

"there are no rules"

making art can become a model for what a work of art in that medium can be

becoming desperate to create your art can leave you gullible to your own mediocrity

the game of finding your own judgment of a work of art

"it's a pitfall to have a definition of photography"

"there are no rules only results"

make work for your standards

A London Walk

the idea

“I heard a well-known artist say what’s important is the idea. I try to go with almost no idea. Of course, they are probably there, but I don’t like to write them down or put them in words, otherwise, why do it? I like to discover what I’m looking for in the process of the work. ”
 Chantal Akerman

might pick this question for my essay

7. Using ideas and theoretical approaches developed in the lectures, write a detailed critical analysis of a piece of photographic or video work. You must write about a piece of work you have visited in person (not one you’ve just seen or read about in a book).

Although this is quite similar to my essay last year when I wrote about Gabriel Orozco's use of photography - I'm interested to apply the ideas of embodiment and psychoanalysis to an actual exhibition. Applying theory to actual real objects seems a bit more useful...

Chantal Akerman's Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai Du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles,    
http://unemployedcinema.blogspot.com/2011/11/thorough-cleaning-triple-bill.html

Memory Remains by Francesc Torres
http://www.iwm.org.uk/exhibitions/memory-remains-911-artifacts-at-hangar-17-by-francesc-torres
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/art-news/8724952/A-grim-reminder-of-the-World-Trade-Center-attacks.html


Signs of a Struggle: Photography in the Wake of Postmodernism
http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/s/signs-of-a-struggle-photography-in-the-wake-of-postmodernism/

We made photo boards with photographs of my dad

We made some photo boards with photographs of my dad, and put them up in the hall were everyone was having tea and sandwiches after the funeral service.
People really liked looking at and talking about them - it seemed a really direct and practical use of photographs.

Pictures of Dad

Untitled

My dad died last friday and I haven't much been in the mood for photographs but here's two from the week.

waiting room

Our group project this term is to create "four linked images of narrative base constructed photographic work."
Our idea so far is to show different "gazes" on a figure seated in a waiting room - the receptionists gaze, the security camera, an internal gaze, a medical gaze, a male gaze etc.
We have the student office at college for our first shoot today.

goodbye

My dad died today.

where's the fun?

I think I'm suffering from "no longer taking photographs now I'm studying for a degree in photography" syndrome - well not quite - but all my photographs are for some purpose - finishing off shots for the book - test shots for the waiting room project - and so on - (not quite true as I did take a few snaps last week in Somerset) - but where's the fun? the light hearted joyful explorative photo taking of yore?
mmm maybe I have to continue on this trajectory to a point of almost giving it all up -
we shall see.....