I was fortunate enough to see Elin Høyland's series, 'The Brothers' on display at the Norwegian Church Arts Centre as part of the Diffusion Photography Festival of 2013, and I can honestly say it was my favourite piece of work from the whole festival, and I will remember her work forever.
[From the Guardian] "... An extract from Elin Høyland's book 'The Brothers', which observes the relationship between Harald and Mathias Ramen, two brothers living together on a small farm in rural Norway. It records a way of life which has almost entirely disappeared."
Høyland began her project by photographing 'twos', which is how she came about meeting the brothers. The project ran from 2001 through to 2007 and Høyland would only stay with the pair for a few hours a day as she didn't want to intrude on their lives.
I am very fond of this piece of work, I fell in love with the entire project. It stood out to me and began to get me to consider documentary as a genre, and I thought it would be useful to look at if I were to do this Major Project on the Cockle Pickers.
The project is very intimate, and Høyland gets very close to the subjects, which adds to its intensity. It documents their way of lives in a remote location, but also documents the brothers relationship as well. What I found, about the project, was that I wanted to research the brothers more and I wanted to look at the other images in the project because I was so drawn into it, by just looking at the exhibition images. There is definitely a lot I can take from this project, especially as it's one project of Høyland not her whole work, and obviously I would be doing something similar.
"After a while I got the feeling that I was an outsider was also appreciated and that there was an element of satisfaction for them in being seen. I felt a huge privilege that they allowed me into their world." - http://vimeo.com/28769927
Alexander Norton on Elin Høyland’s The Brothers
Sat in each others pockets"The closeness of family can create bonds beyond a form of relationship, friendship and love; it can never break although it might bend. That connection can be tested, crumpled, but always goes back to its original shape. Elin Høyland’s The Brothers shows precisely this closeness between family, and between the most interwoven of them all, the relation of siblings. They never detract too far from each other, never leaving a complete eye line from each other – their faces bearing the same eyes, ears and hairline, wearing the same jumpers, doing similar things. They are remote from any other individuals, spending time in each other’s pockets. Their every action carries a trace of resemblance, a sense of mimicking actions, but with the same conscious thought. People in sync, thinking the same, but details change from each person. As people they may do the same things, they may look and act the same, but small details vary, the way one may stand, wear a coat or jumper, may look at things and may place things.
They are close beyond what close can comprehend, their relationship gentle, subtle, quiet. Their very existence seems to rely on the other; no breath is caught without the other. Their spaces intimate, duplicated with a mirroring that suggests a whole hearted caring. They swap positions from left to right, right to left, walking around the same backyard for what feels like decades, but they do not age, although their bodies are worn. We are left with the underlying fact that we all die, and will leave our close ones momentarily. As we are shown the stark reality of two individuals reliant on each other, comprehending how one will live without the other. There is one pair of binoculars on the right, accompanied by a man, not a brother anymore. Although their beautiful relation lives on, the physical manifestation of their contact appears at the end of its journey, leaving an ultimatum for the individual left. Left staring at the bed of another he shared his life with. The space they share becomes empty, as life catches up with them, leaving their room empty.
After the initial parting, the other falls with grace, feeling a gentle sensation of acceptance, they will sit in each other’s pockets once again."
As much as I thoroughly enjoyed viewing every one of Elin Høyland's images, I had favourites. The images I have included above is one of my favourites of the project. Again, a very strong composition is the image and what I do love is the fact that our main subject, 'The Brothers', are not even present in the image, but yet we have their gloves which are used to represent 'The Brothers'.
I do like this photograph as it does support the argument that good documentary photography does not have to contain people as main subjects. This is something which I have really doubted about my skills as a documentary photographer, the ability to photograph people, which is why I have avoided this subject in the past.
I am aware that I would probably have to spend quite some time building my confidence in order to complete a documentary photography project, but this photograph of Høylands proves that you can explore details within a scene and still create beautiful images, which can represent the subjects. I am also very fond of the contrast through Høylands use of a Medium Format camera, detaile and a beautifully exposed image.
Bibliography
http://vimeo.com/28769927
http://www.elinhoyland.com/component/option,com_joomgallery/Itemid,2/catid,7/func,viewcategory/
http://www.diffusionfestival.org/
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