This festival caused several conflicting emotions over the course of the day. Some of those good, others of disappointment and frustration. I should probably start with the bad to get it out of the way as much as anything, also its better to end on a happier tone and with words of praise.
My first few niggles about the experience came not from the work on display itself but the layout of the festival as a whole. The various exhibitions are spread over a large area, not a problem if you don’t mind a walk and the weather is good, however on a chilly, gusty day trudging between them became more of a chore than a pleasure. Though the general idea is sound, the timing of it in relation to the seasons was maybe a little misguided. Also the map that we were given was a tad vague at times, putting you in the vicinity but you had to search, once again fine on a nice day but frustrating when the weather turns. I should add however, on the whole this wasn't really any more than a minor discomfort but I feel it’s a point that should be made should they choose to run it again.
Ok, to the photography itself. Now due to the large area that the work was displayed around, mixed with the limited time I had, I will admit I didn't get to see everything on offer. Some of what I saw was good, some ok, some bad, much as you would expect with any art, certain pieces appealing to different people. I would however like to focus in on three of the Photographers and their work.
Firstly the bad (and I promise it's all good after this). The first Gallery I entered was in the National Media Museum itself and displayed the work of Donovan Wylie's - Outposts taken in Afghanistan.
Now if I’m honest I was really looking forward to this one. In your mind when you hear someone is a Magnum photographer you mentally develop certain expectations for the context and quality of their work. Imagine my disappointment then when I walked into a room filled with quite possibly the most mind numbingly boring photographs I have ever seen. Don't get me wrong, the pictures themselves are well taken, printed and displayed. The quality of them is hard to question. The context given is vague and flaky however, as if tagged on as an afterthought. The content of each image was quite frankly laughable, indeed many felt like the photographer had done little more than stood on a tall hill and turned around taking pictures, the only interest at that point been that they are of a foreign country dissimilar to our own. If only I had watched the interview video first where he admits he got rejected for a position taking picture for a local newspaper I could have saved precious minutes of my life. Anyway rant over, onwards to the good.
Staying at the Media Museum and up one floor I came across the early works of Daniel Meadows. This documented a brief snapshot of his urban documentary works from between 1971-1988.
Firstly I will say that I really did enjoy this exhibit. Split into a few sections to catalogue different time periods in his work you got to see the evolution of his work/style as he matured. The early 70's black and white images mainly consisted of quite basic portraits taken with urban backdrops. They do however capture a wealth of character from each 'model' and become interesting in there simplicity as much as anything. Though these were good the pictures that really caught my eye are the later colour photographs. Many of these are almost bizarre (the torso section of a man wearing a blazer covered in badges for instance) but the at times odd subject matter displayed in very bright, vivid colours somehow captures the period in human history well. The 70's and 80's are a time when bold and brash (and a tad tacky) was the way to be and this is a feeling delivered in abundance throughout.
Finally i will touch on my personal favourite exhibit. This time a short walk away at the Impressions gallery. Hidden by Red Saunders.
Now this ticked a lot of boxes for me in terms of what I look for in a photograph. Firstly the images are of a high quality, a fact really shown off by the size of the prints, some taking up a good half wall (floor to ceiling) leaving little way to hide flaws, of which I saw none. The lighting on all of them was phenomenal; bring a sense of realism and drama to each shot. The vibrancy of colour almost turned some of them into looking more like paintings than photographs, which worked well with the concept that these are meant to be recreations of the photos that could never have been taken but should have. The concept maybe should be explained more by me here really. Saunders took figures from history that receive little recognition but should have social pariahs, revolutionaries and downtrodden rebels. Each researched in depth from historical documentation, for instance with 'Hild of Streonshalh' he found picture drawn of her at the time and incorporated many of the elements (traditional and accurate garb both in cut and colour, etc...). Also a lot is left open to interpretation. 'The Swing Riots' (above) depicts the serfs that started a social revolution for equality. Though these men would go on to be in many ways heroes to the common people he shows them as dark, shady and almost scary characters, in a real way you can see how they would have been demonized as terrorists had they not succeeded, it shows the thin line between different perceptions of the same thing.
On the whole I really enjoyed the event, it's nice that you can all go as a group and walk away individually with different aspects that you have liked/disliked. Also it's great to have an event with so much work on display at one time. If you happen to have a spare day its well worth the time, effort and braving a little adverse weather.
The festival runs from 1st-30th October 2011 with several of the exhibits running till December and even on till February 2012. Maps and further details available from the National Media Museum.
