Artist Research
There were several artists that I researched for the Mini Project which I knew I would want to look at in much more depth for the Final Major. There artists included the works of Tony Ray-Jones and Sebastiao Salgado, these were two of my favourite artists, but the work of W. Eugene Smith might also be worth looking at in more depth. As part of the Major Project, there won't be any need for 'background' information on the photographers, this is unecessary and would only take up space. It is important to include in depth analysis on the photographers work from your own perspective. As well as my own feedback, I would also like to focus on newspaper articles and interviews with the artists to find out that little bit more about their thought process and opinions etc.
Tony Ray-Jones
Even though I only decided to look at the work of Tony Ray-Jones for printing purposes in the Mini Project, the more I looked at his work the more fond I became of it. More research on a photographer who is also known as "A Key Contributor to British Photography" won't hurt anyway. I thoroughly enjoyed researching Ray-Jones' various projects and very quickly began researching his background and his history and also looked at who he inspired.
As part of one of our other modules at University, entitled Professional Practice, we explored the world of exhibitions and curators. In November 2013 we went on a class trip to London where we were given a choice of exhibitions to visit, and at the time the 'Only In England' was on display at the Science Museum, which I was extremely eager to visit. From which I also wrote a Review.
'Only In England', November 2013
The exhibition was a joint exhibition of both the works of Tony Ray-Jones and also Martin Parr, who curated the exhibition. As part of our own Review it was important to read as many other reviews as possible, and also to read up about the venue and it's history.
Below is my own review of the Exhibition:
“Exactly who do you think has curated the show and what are their motives for doing so?”
On display at the Science Museum is the work of Martin Parr and Tony Ray-Jones. It is found on the second floor, £8 for adults, in the Media Space, which is a collaboration between the Science Museum and also that of the National Media Museum of Bradford. On it’s website, the New Media Space is described as “..bold and exciting new photography..”, but that is far from what we find here today.
Walk into the space and be greeted by the work of Tony Ray-Jones, historical images, which he himself printed in the years before he passed away in 1972. This is not new photography in any way; these photographs, as beautifully compositional as they are, are old photographs and do not appear to fit the description of the Media Space. Similarly, the photographs of Martin Parr, from his early ‘The Non-Comformists’ series, were created in 1970, over 40 years ago. The only thing which is relatively new in this exhibition are the prints that Martin Parr created from Tony Ray-Jones’ negatives, and I have several issues with those.
The photographs are displayed beautifully. The exhibition is surprisingly large, meaning you’re not exactly sure if it will ever end by the time you get half way down the room. It is filled, on every wall visible, a black and white photograph, framed exactly the same, but mounted slightly differently, as the Tony Ray-Jones photographs are a different size to that of Martin Parr’s. Once we get to the back of the room, where you’ll find the photographs of Tony Ray-Jones’ printed by Martin Parr, they are mounted the same as Parr’s original images.
The collection of photographs do indeed work very well together as an exhibition, as both of the photographers explore very similar aspects of the traditional British way of life, such as going to church. We are limited to Martin Parr’s series, the ‘Non-Comformists’, which focuses specifically on one village, so we are not met with such a vast variation of imagery. From my own knowledge, and also from the short video, which was on display at the exhibition, we know that both photographers explored similar aspects of British culture, such as going to the seaside and visiting the horse racing tracks. It is interesting to see how one photographer, Tony Ray-Jones, has influenced the other, Martin Parr, and this is highlighted throughout the exhibition.
When we get to the back of the exhibition space we are greeted with images of Tony Ray-Jones’, but these are not photographs that Tony Ray-Jones has chosen to print, they are photographs which Martin Parr has decided to print.
In the exhibition, you have the chance to watch a short video clip. Although only a few minutes long, it interviews Martin Parr, and speaks to him briefly about the show. It is evident, after watching this clip, that Martin Parr was the curator of the show, but for what purpose? It is understood that Martin Parr was highly influenced by Tony Ray-Jones and on several occasions refers to him as being “…the single most influential photographer on his own practice”, yet why would he intrude on Ray-Jones’ prints in this way?
Personally, I find it difficult to understand why Martin Parr would and has curated such a show. Parr spent hours, maybe even days, searching through Tony Ray-Jones’ collection of contact sheets and then printed images, which he thought would be suitable for such an exhibition. I find it slightly insulting. Tony Ray-Jones has not printed these images and he probably had good reasons for not doing so. If the reason is that he has passed away and did not get a chance to print them, I feel that Martin Parr should have left well enough alone. I understand that Ray-Jones’ collection of negatives found its way to the National Media Museum, but something just doesn’t feel quite right, viewing photographs which Ray-Jones’ would have strived to capture, and then seeing them being printed by Parr. Even though it is acknowledged that Martin Parr did not intend to call these images his own, he knew he was printing another photographers work, and therefore re-presenting that photographers work in a way he might not have intended, but it just did not seem right.
I understand that there was a vast collection, over 2,000 negative, at Parr’s fingertips to go through, and I’m sure it was a great and honorable experience, for him personally. Viewing some beautiful photographs, which, as I mentioned earlier, Tony Ray-Jones would have worked so hard to capture, and then seeing Martin Parr print them in his own way, almost damages Ray-Jones’ wider body of work. Photographers often speak about the process of choice when photographing a subject, and then the choice of picking out images from a contact sheet. This is all one process with the aim of making a single aesthetically pleasing image and is a process that should not be interfered with.
This is a real problem with the exhibition. It is possible to appreciate the work of the individuals themselves, but it all starts to get a little messy because of all the continued link made between the two photographers work.
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